| 0.0 : New year, trailing in the series, now a venue which is South Africa's best in their nation - these are enough pointers to what a 'tough' Test tour means. Pace, bounce and movement were what they had to counter in the first game and there won't be any respite from at least the first two aspects in the second one. Welcome to our coverage of the second Test between South Africa and India which will be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Picture this - the hosts have won 17 of the 22 games that |
| Virat Kohli's record of not losing a series since he became India's full-time Test captain is under some serious threat. The pre-match talks suggest a definite change for the visitors at the top of the order. Will Ajinkya Rahane play? We'll find out that. For the hosts, only Dale Steyn's spot is up for grabs and it will be interesting to see the route that they take in that respect. Do any surprises await us? We'll know that in a while. Stay with us. |
| Pitch Report - Shaun Pollock is out there doing the pitch report. He expected a nice grass covering but that's not to be. Reckons that the bright sunshine and seriously hot temperatures out there mean that one has to bat first after winning the toss. Observes that there are patches of grass but not as thick as generally seen. Reckons that spinners will play a part as the game goes on. Expects some reverse swing later, too. Ends saying that it is a bat-first surface although seamers will get some |
| Toss - Virat Kohli calls heads but the coin lands in favour of Faf du Plessis. SOUTH AFRICA WILL BAT FIRST. Early advantage? Maybe. |
| Faf du Plessis, the South African skipper, reasons about his decision, that the history of the ground says that it is slow on Day 1 and the cracks are expected later. States that spin doesn't play a massive part here. Reckons that they expect India to come back hard at them as they are a quality opposition. Looks to improve on the performance in the first game. Announces that Lungi Ngidi makes his Test debut and that's the only change for them, which is a forced one as Dale Steyn is out injured. |
| The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, would have liked to bat first as well. Is surprised to see a very dry surface on offer. Aims to extract confidence from their bowling performance from the first game. Reckons that they would look to extract whatever is on offer in the initial hour. Mentions that they have one forced change in Parthiv Patel, who comes in for Wriddhiman Saha, who has an hamstring niggle and the team doesn't want to risk the same. Adds further that KL Rahul comes in for Shikhar Dhaw |
| Here's a view about the team changes. Though Morris was widely touted to replace Steyn, Ngidi makes his Test debut and that isn't a great surprise. For the tourists though, Kumar had a good outing with the ball and a decent one with the bat. Sharma replacing him is a touch unexpected, although a good performance would render these talks useless. And yes, no Ajinkya Rahane yet again. For now, both the sides line up for the national anthems. It will be India's first followed by South Africa's. |
| The anthems act as an additional motivation for the sides who turn up to play the sport, if representing the country wasn't motivating enough. That is done and dusted now. The players and the umpires walk out to take their positions on the ground. Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram are the two men for the hosts who walk out with the willow. For the visitors, Jasprit Bumrah will have the first feel of the new ball. Three slips and a gully stand in anticipation. |
| 0.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Right on the money. Bumrah runs in from over the wicket and lands it on a length at 142 kph in line of the stumps. Elgar goes back and presents a straight bat face as he keeps it out towards point. |
| 0.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Length ball on middle and leg, blocked towards mid-wicket. |
| 0.3 : J Bumrah to Elgar, On a length in line of the stumps, blocked solidly from the crease. |
| Short leg in place. |
| 0.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Elgar misses the flick and gets it off the thigh pad towards short leg. |
| 0.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Nicely bowled. Back of a length ball around leg, Dean fails to flick it. Gets it off his pads towards the slip cordon. |
| 0.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, A touch fuller this one, Elgar comes half-forward and defends it. A maiden to begin for Bumrah. |
| Mohammed Shami to run in from the other end. |
| 1.1 : M Shami to Markram, This is hurled on a fuller length outside off, Markram lets it go. |
| 1.2 : M Shami to Markram, Full and outside off, Markram just lets it be. |
| 1.3 : M Shami to A Markram, There is the slowness of the surface on display. Shami lands it on a length outside off at 134 kph. Normally a slap shot to this one would go nicely to the fielder or to the fence. But here, the ball didn't come quickly and Markram ends up mistiming his shot. |
| 1.4 : M Shami to Markram, On a length around off, a hint of movement there. Markram gets solidly behind it and defends. |
| 1.5 : M Shami to Markram, Full outside off, shouldered arms to. Bit of movement on this occasion too. |
| 1.6 : M Shami to Markram, Straight delivery just outside off, Markram points his bat skywards and lets it go. A maiden for Shami as well. |
| 2.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, That's the line Bumrah! He lands it on a length around off. The pace is 146 kph. Elgar is unsure whether to get forward or stay back. Has a tame poke at that and ends up getting an inside edge through his pads. The ball rolls towards short fine leg and a run is taken. Account opened. |
| 2.2 : J Bumrah to Markram, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 2.3 : J Bumrah to Markram, Well kept, Parthiv. Jasprit strays down the leg side and the ball moves further down the leg side. Markram fails with his flick. Patel dives full stretch and stops a certain boundary. |
| 2.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, Length ball on off, Aiden gets it off the inner half through mid-wicket for one. |
| 2.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Nicely punched through mid-wicket. Elgar gets a couple for doing so. |
| 2.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Length ball on line of the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 3.1 : M Shami to Markram, Fuller outside off, Aiden strides forward and lets it go. The ball moved in substantially after passing the batsman. |
| 3.2 : M Shami to Markram, On a length outside off, Markram looks to cut but only manages a bottom edge towards slips. |
| 3.3 : M Shami to Markram, FOUR! How beautifully timed is this one! Shami hurls it on a length outside off, Markram stands tall and punches it through covers. Plenty of real estate there and the ball speeds away to the fence. That's the first boundary of the game and Aiden's blade gets it. |
| 3.4 : M Shami to Markram, FOUR! Shami overcorrects, pays the price. In a bid to bowl straighter, he strays on the pads. Markram keeps his balance and flicks it nonchalantly through mid-wicket. Ishant gives it a chase from mid on but has no chance of cutting that off. A good fast outfield this. |
| 3.5 : M Shami to Markram, AM defends it from within the crease. |
| 3.6 : M Shami to Markram, This is well outside off to make Markram play. 8 runs off this over. |
| 4.1 : J Bumrah to D Elgar, Hurled on a length around off, Elgar guides it to third slip where Rahul fields it. |
| 4.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Angled away on a length, Elgar covers his stumps and lets the ball pass. |
| 4.3 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Fuller around off, driven towards mid off. |
| 4.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Similar delivery, pushed defensively towards mid off. |
| 4.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Back of a length ball angling away, Dean just lets it be. |
| As the camera rolls towards Hashim Amla in the dressing room, Sunil Gavaskar on air says that he is as cool as an ice-berg. Amla would love that to be more than just an adjective given the hot conditions on the ground. |
| 4.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Careful Elgar! Similar delivery angling away from Dean, he looks to put bat to that before withdrawing the same. Needn't play at those. |
| 5.1 : M Shami to Markram, Length ball around off, blocked. |
| 0.0 : There is a man at a catching position square on the off side. A close cover-point you can say. |
| 5.2 : M Shami to Markram, Full outside off, left alone. |
| Both batsmen are batting a fraction outside the crease, observes Mike Haysman on air. Perhaps to counter any little movement that is on offer. |
| 5.3 : M Shami to Markram, Markram hangs on the back foot and blocks this one. |
| 5.4 : M Shami to Markram, Another ball on a length, but too wide to make Aiden play. He shoulders arms. |
| 5.5 : M Shami to Markram, Fine shot. Length ball outside off, Markram punches it nicely through point. Almost similar to the ball that fetched him his first boundary. But this time there is protection in the deep and only a brace results as deep backward point runs to his right to cut it off. |
| 5.6 : M Shami to Markram, Fuller on off, defended watchfully. Another over where Shami has conceded a boundary. He hasn't been incisive enough yet. |
| 6.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Length ball slanting away, Elgar lets it be unhampered. |
| 6.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, On a length on the pads, tucked away through backward square leg for one. |
| 6.3 : J Bumrah to Markram, Fuller on off, flicked straight to short mid on who is a touch wider. Wasn't one of those soft flicks as Pandya flinches after stopping that. |
| 6.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, Similar delivery, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 6.5 : J Bumrah to Markram, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 6.6 : J Bumrah to Markram, Brilliant delivery to end the over. On a length around off, it comes back in viciously. Cuts Markram into half and flies to Patel who has to dive well to his left to pouch that. |
| Ishant Sharma is introduced into the attack. Technically he is the most experienced bowler in the side yet he isn't a regular starter. This is his comeback game and he would look to extract some bounce from the surface. |
| 7.1 : I Sharma to Elgar, Starts off with a ball on off and middle, Elgar comes forward and blocks. |
| 7.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Peach! Angled away from the batter on a length, Elgar has a feel for that but misses. Almost edged that one, similar to the way he had got out in the first innings of the first game. |
| Nice point. Seeing Elgar beaten all ends up on the previous ball, Gavaskar opines that he would have loved Ishant to have taken the new ball straightaway. Although the ball is 7 overs old now, meaning not too old, a newer cherry would have behaved differently out of Sharma's hand, he reckons. |
| 7.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, Elgar taps this length ball towards cover-point and sets across to the other end. |
| 7.4 : I Sharma to Markram, Outside off, left alone. |
| 7.5 : I Sharma to Markram, Fuller in line of the stumps, flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.6 : I Sharma to Markram, This is bowled outside off, left alone by Markram. 140 kph says the speed gun. |
| 8.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Bumrah comes round the wicket and serves it on a length outside off. Elgar opens the bat face and plays it past third slip, where Rohit dives but fails to field. Gets a couple. |
| 8.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Length outside off, Elgar gets forward and blocks it towards gully. |
| 8.3 : J Bumrah to Elgar, On a length on the pads, Elgar misses the flick and takes a leg bye as the ball rolls towards backward square leg. |
| 8.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 8.5 : J Bumrah to Markram, Aiden has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 8.6 : J Bumrah to Markram, Another ball that is well outside off, Markram gets a stride forward and lets it go. |
| 9.1 : I Sharma to Elgar, Length ball around middle and leg, Elgar goes back to defend but gets it off the shoulder of the bat to the vacant short leg region. THAT extra bounce talked about, extracted from Sharma. |
| 9.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Well bowled again. Angles this fuller delivery away from Elgar. He is forced to play on the length but gets beaten on the outside. Looks to be in nice rhythm does Ishant. |
| 9.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, A bit fuller around off, Elgar gets it off the inner half through square leg for a couple. |
| 9.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Full on off and middle, blocked back towards the bowler. |
| 9.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, Confused Elgar? He largely seemed assured when he got those heaps of runs last year but here the case is different. Sharma bowls it around the good length area, Elgar is late to lift his bat to let it go. Ends up wearing it on the back glove and the ball dies down on the off side. |
| 9.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Angled away outside off, Dean lets it be. |
| Change of ends for Mohammed Shami. |
| 10.1 : M Shami to Markram, FOUR! A Gateway of India in Cape Town? Let me explain. This is full and outside off, a hint of movement away from the batter. Markram gets his stride forward and drives it through covers. Bumrah is stationed there and puts in a lousy effort and lets the ball go through his legs. The ball's next destination is the boundary fence. |
| 10.2 : M Shami to A Markram, Now this one is bowled straighter. Aiden gets it off the inner half through square leg and collects two. |
| 10.3 : M Shami to Markram, FOUR! Another glorious shot, not great bowling though. Shami overpitches this outside off, Markram gets ahead and drives it nicely through the vacant cover region for a boundary. |
| 10.4 : M Shami to Markram, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 10.5 : M Shami to Markram, Markram is seeing the cricket ball well. He stays still and works it away in front of square on the leg side. Rohit from mid-wicket chases it down and saves a run for his side. |
| Good observation. Sanjay Manjrekar analyses Markram's batting. In the first game, Aiden was playing with an angled bat and hence was edging some deliveries to the slip cordon. Here, he is consciously trying to play as well as leave with a straight bat. Nice to see the rectification. |
| 10.6 : M Shami to Elgar, Length ball on the stumps, defended towards square leg. 13 runs of Shami's comeback over. |
| 11.1 : I Sharma to Markram, Bowled outside off, left alone. |
| 11.2 : I Sharma to Markram, Hurled straight outside off, AM leaves it alone. |
| 11.3 : I Sharma to Markram, Edged but safe. Markram looks to defend this one but gets an outside edge to third slip on the bounce. |
| 11.4 : I Sharma to Markram, Good running. Markram taps this towards mid-wicket and gets to the other end quickly. |
| 11.5 : I Sharma to D Elgar, Length ball angling away, Elgar gets a soft outside edge towards fourth slip. Sharma is continuing to probe away without much success. |
| 11.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Well away from the off stump, Elgar lets it be. |
| Hardik Pandya into the attack now. He looked impressive in the first Test and with India desperate for a wicket, Pandya would look to make his mark right away. |
| 12.1 : H Pandya to Markram, Begins with a ball well outside off, Markram doesn't bother putting bat to that. |
| 12.2 : H Pandya to Markram, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 12.3 : H Pandya to Markram, Full outside off, Markram gets his front foot forward and lets it go. Patel was moving to his left to collect it on the initial angle but has to adjust to the late movement to his right. |
| 12.4 : H Pandya to Markram, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| With Parthiv Patel in the side today for Wriddhiman Saha, the comparisons between the two are inevitable. Sanjay Manjrekar on air opines that he isn't a big fan of the former. Harsha Bhogle does well to remind us all that the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman had made his debut early in the last decade. He has improved his glovework yet remains only a second choice. Back then, Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni were preferred over him and now it is Saha. In the end, Bhogle quips wittily - However good o |
| 12.5 : H Pandya to Markram, This one is defended from the crease. |
| 12.6 : H Pandya to Markram, Another ball on a length, blocked from the crease. Pandya begins with a maiden. |
| 13.1 : I Sharma to D Elgar, Almost! Elgar is surviving with those inside edges that he is getting constantly. Looks to defend this full length ball but ends up getting an inside edge that just passes next to the leg stick. |
| 13.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 13.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, DE has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 13.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Bouncer but not well directed. It is bowled down the leg side and Elgar watches it sail to the keeper. |
| 13.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, Length ball, tapped in front of covers for one. |
| 13.6 : I Sharma to Markram, Fuller on off, defended with a straight bat from the crease. No maidens yet but Ishant's figures at this point read 4-0-5-0. Probing spell. |
| Time for the first drinks break in the game. The Protea openers have done well to negotiate this first hour. No real help for the seamers and that Shami was indisciplined didn't help the Indians. Bumrah bowled well but Ishant was the more probing of the seamers on show so far. Can he draw first blood soon? Hope the break rejuvenates them. Markram has looked assured in his stay out there while Elgar has been a touch tentative. How long will they carry on? |
| 14.1 : H Pandya to Elgar, A huge appeal but an ambitious one! Pandya bowls it on the pads, Elgar misses the flick and gets hit on the pads. Hardik makes a huge appeal but the umpire shakes his head. It has surely pitched outside leg. |
| 14.2 : H Pandya to Elgar, Better line! He bowls it on a length outside off, Elgar lunges forward and defends it. |
| 14.3 : H Pandya to Elgar, In the channel outside off, Elgar watchfully lets it be. No movement for Pandya till now. |
| 14.4 : H Pandya to Elgar, Excellently bowled! Pandya bowls it closer to the off pole this time also gets the ball to bounce a touch extra. Elgar makes a good leave and also does well to take his gloves out of the way. |
| 14.5 : H Pandya to Elgar, This time Pandya bowls it wide outside off, wanting Elgar too play a loose shot. He resists and lets it be. |
| 14.6 : H Pandya to Elgar, Attacks the stumps this time, he also gets it to nip away after pitching. Elgar tries to defend but gets an outside edge towards covers. A good over by Pandya, a maiden. |
| 15.1 : I Sharma to Markram, Ishant continues hitting the length around off, Markram camps back and blocks it towards covers. |
| 15.2 : I Sharma to Markram, Lovely stuff from Ishant! He is really started off well here. He comes running in and first angles it into the batsman. Gets it to shape after pitching it on off, Markram tries to defend it with minimal foot movement but gets beaten. |
| 15.3 : I Sharma to Markram, This time he bowls the inswinger on middle, Markram works it towards wide mid on for a run. |
| 15.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Fuller in length outside off, the sucker ball. Elgar shoulders his arms to it. |
| 15.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, The change of angle almost does the trick! Sharma bowls it fuller outside off, swinging away further. Elgar is drawn into the shot as he goes after it away from his body but gets beaten. Lucky he did not edge that. |
| 15.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| Michael Holding on air mentions this wicket is not as green as the last one and he would have picked Bhuvneshwar Kumar over Jasprit Bumrah as the former could have got more out of the wicket. |
| 16.1 : H Pandya to Markram, Full and way outside off, the batsman has no interest in playing those. Would have been called a wide in a one day game. |
| 16.2 : H Pandya to Markram, Again bowls it wide outside off. Markram points his bat skywards and lets it be. |
| 16.3 : H Pandya to Markram, Once again Pandya does not make the batsman play as he bowls it way outside off. |
| 16.4 : H Pandya to Markram, Fourth leave in a row! Pandya bowled a really good last over but this has been a poor one. He bowls it way outside off, Markram opts not to play at it. |
| 16.5 : H Pandya to Markram, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 16.6 : H Pandya to Markram, A decent delivery to end the over! Pandya bowls it fuller around off, gets it to shape away. Markram first thinks of playing at it but then leaves it. Third maiden in a row for Pandya but this wasn't a threatening one. |
| 17.1 : I Sharma to Elgar, Lands it on a length around off, Elgar is solid in defense. |
| 17.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Tucks it with the angle to mid-wicket. |
| 17.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, Good length on off, Elgar, awkwardly tucks it to mid-wicket. It has been a scratchy innings by him till now. |
| 17.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Good length but outside off, Elgar need not play at it. |
| 17.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 17.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Changes his angle and goes over the wicket but bowls it way outside off. The batsman need not play at those. |
| 18.1 : H Pandya to Markram, Just ahead of a length on off, Markram defends it towards covers. |
| 18.2 : H Pandya to Markram, Some excitement there! Pandya bends his back and bowls it short. He gets good bounce from the surface. Markram tries to pull but he misses and Patel behind jumps and collects it well. There is a muted appeal from the Indians but is is cut short by the umpire. |
| 18.3 : H Pandya to Markram, First runs off Pandya! He angles it on middle, Markram shuffles in and flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 18.4 : H Pandya to Elgar, FOUR! First boundary for Elgar! It has come in the 19th over. He gets a full ball outside off, Elgar square drives it for a boundary. |
| 18.5 : H Pandya to Elgar, Good length on off, angling away from the batsman. Elgar defends it towards gully. |
| 18.6 : H Pandya to Elgar, Good length on off, defended towards covers. |
| Spin for the first time today! Ravichandran Ashwin is into the attack. |
| 19.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Some turn there for Ashwin! He tosses it up on off, gets it to turn back in sharply. Markram adjusts and works it towards square leg. Encouraging sings here for the off spinner. |
| 19.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Ashwin gives it a little more air this time on off, no turn on this ball. Markram prods forward and blocks it. |
| 19.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Errs in line and bowls this one down the leg side. Markram lets it be. |
| 19.4 : R Ashwin to Markram, Pushes it through on off, AM defends it off the back foot. |
| 19.5 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it to mid-wicket with the turn. |
| 19.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, Slower through the air on leg stump, turning away. Markram tries to flick but he seems to have missed it. There shouts of catch it but the keeper fails to collect it. Replays later on show there was no edge there. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is back into the attack. |
| 20.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Back of a length on off, DE defends it off the back foot. |
| 20.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, FOUR! In the air...but it has been misjudged! Poor from Vijay, India needed him to take this as they are in a desperate need of a wicket. Bumrah bangs it short on middle, Elgar takes on the challenge of pulling, he connects well but fails to keep it down. The ball flies towards Murali at deep square leg who comes running in and then fails to recover, he stretches his hand out in an attempt to catch it but it goes over him and once bounce over the fence. |
| 20.3 : J Bumrah to Elgar, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 20.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, FOUR! Beautiful shot! Bumrah lands it on a length but errs in line as he bowls it on the pads. Markram uses his wrists and flicks it through mid-wicket to fetch himself a boundary. This also brings up the 50-run stand between the two. |
| 20.5 : J Bumrah to Markram, FOUR! Bad ball and dispatched! Bumrah has not got it right here. He bowls it short outside off, offers a lot of width. Markram cashes in on it as he cuts it through covers for a boundary. |
| 20.6 : J Bumrah to Markram, The batsman rocks onto the backfoot and punches the ball. 13 runs from the over. |
| 21.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Works it to mid-wicket with the angle. |
| 21.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on middle, Elgar defends it solidly. |
| 21.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floats it outside off, Elgar lets it be. |
| 21.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, NOT OUT! Beautiful bowling by Ashwin! He slows it up and bowls it outside off, he gets some purchase off the wicket as it turns away. Elgar goes for an expansive drive away from his body but is beaten by the bounce. Saha takes it and whips the bails off. They appeal and the umpire goes upstairs. Replays show Elgar never lifted his feet. |
| 21.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Flatter on middle, Elgar defends it off the back foot. |
| 21.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 22.1 : J Bumrah to Markram, A good start to the over by Bumrah. He bowls it on a length around off, Makram defends it solidly. |
| 22.2 : J Bumrah to Markram, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 22.3 : J Bumrah to Markram, FOUR! Errs in line and bowls it on the pads, Markram is too good to miss out there. He flicks it through backward square leg and the ball races away. He moves on to 39. |
| 22.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, Back of a length on off, Markram pushes it to covers. |
| 22.5 : J Bumrah to Markram, Good length outside off, Markram need not play at it. |
| 22.6 : J Bumrah to Markram, Angles it into the batsman. Markram tucks it away to keep strike in the next over. |
| 23.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tosses it up on middle, Markram works it to mid-wicket. |
| 23.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it around the corner for a run. |
| 23.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Review time! An appeal for a caught behind against Elgar has been given not out. Kohli is pretty sure about it and he reviews it. Ashwin though is not so confident. |
| 23.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Not out! India lose a review! Ashwin tosses it up on off, gets it to turn away sharply. Elgar lunges forward in defense but he seems to have missed it. The Indians appeals and the umpire shakes his head. Kohli without consulting anybody, he straight away signaled for a 'T'. They go upstairs and the replays show there is nothing on Snicko and hence the on-field call stays. Ashwin never seemed confident there nor did Parthiv, it was Kohli who felt there was an edge and he |
| 23.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on middle, Elgar defends it off the front foot. |
| 23.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Works it uppishly but away from the short leg fielder and towards square leg for a run. |
| Hardik Pandya is back into the attack. |
| 24.1 : H Pandya to Elgar, Fuller on middle, Elgar flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 24.2 : H Pandya to Markram, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| Experience speaks! Sunil Gavaskar reckons that Murali Vijay should have done better at short leg on 23.4. Vijay was standing with his feet on either side of the crease. Gavaskar says that the fielder should either be entirely behind the crease or entirely out of the crease. Especially when a spinner is bowling, he should be well out of the crease as seldom does the ball go aerially to the left of short leg. |
| 24.3 : H Pandya to A Markram, Full ball on the stumps, driven to mid on. |
| 24.4 : H Pandya to A Markram, FOUR! Markram has been driving well since morning and he has done it to perfection again! Pandya bowls it full on off, Markram leans into it and drives it past the diving mid off fielder for a boundary. He moves onto 45. |
| 24.5 : H Pandya to Markram, FOUR! Markram is one shot of his half ton! Back-to-back boundaries for him. Pandya bangs it short at 136 kph. Markram gets into the position and pulls it with disdain through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 24.6 : H Pandya to A Markram, FIFTY FOR MARKRAM! His second in Tests. He works it down to fine leg for a run to bring up the milestone. He raises his bat to acknowledge the applause from the crowd. Also his parents in the stand are happy about it. He would look to make it big now. |
| 25.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tosses it up on off, Markram defends it off the front foot. |
| 25.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it with the spin towards mid-wicket. |
| 25.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Floats it on off, turning back in. Markram clips it to mid-wicket. |
| 25.4 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 25.5 : R Ashwin to Markram, Flatter on off, Markram defends it onto the ground. |
| 25.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| Ishant Sharma to bowl, what could be the last over before lunch. |
| 26.1 : I Sharma to D Elgar, Length ball on off, Elgar tries to defend but gets an outside edge which goes along the ground to third slip. |
| 26.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Good length outside off, the batsman lets it be. |
| Virat Kohli at third slip has come in pretty close. Maybe because of the slowness of the wicket he feels the edges would not carry and hence has walked in a step or two. |
| 26.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, FOUR! Lovely! Nothing wrong with the delivery there. Ishant bowls it on middle, on a shorter length. Elgar reads the length early and pulls it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 26.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. They pick up a single. |
| 26.5 : I Sharma to Markram, Almost drags it on! Back of a length on off, Markram tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 26.6 : I Sharma to Markram, Back of a length on off, Markram defends it towards covers for a quick run. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 1! |
| So, a wicketless session for South Africa! They will be pleased with their position heading into the break after winning the toss. Their openers have ground it out there with Markram scoring his second half ton in Tests. Elgar did look scratchy at the start but he too has managed to survive and now he is getting into his groove. |
| The bowlers were a little wayward. Shami could not get his lengths right and is going at almost six per over. Ishant did manage to keep it tight but did not have luck on his side. Ashwin has looked the most threatening of the Indian bowlers as he has got good purchase out of the surface. The away side now will look to take a few early wickets after the break, whereas South Africa will want to continue from where they left off. Join us for the second session in a while. |
| ... Day 1, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. Elgar and Markram will resume their innings. Ravichandran Ashwin will start the session for India. He has got purchase out of the surface and he will look to provide the breakthrough. Can he do it? Let's see. |
| 27.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Starts off with a tossed up delivery on off, Markram defends it onto the ground. |
| 27.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Gives it air on middle, Markram lunges forward in defense. |
| 27.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Flatter on off, turning back in. Markram pushes it towards covers and sets off for a run but is sent back by his partner. |
| 27.4 : R Ashwin to Markram, Drags his length back on middle, Markram works it around the corner for the first run off this session. |
| 27.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 27.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, FOUR! Up and over! Elgar makes good use of his feet, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it over the bowler's head for a boundary. |
| Ishant Sharma will bowl from the other end. He has two slips in place. |
| 28.1 : I Sharma to A Markram, Shorter in length outside off, Markram cuts it through point for a run. That came right off the middle, just shows how well Markram is seeing the ball out there. |
| 28.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Back of a length on off, angling away. Elgar camps back and defends it. |
| 28.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, Fuller in length outside off, Elgar lets it be. |
| 28.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Punched off the backfoot by the batsman. |
| Michael Holding on air mentions Ashwin is getting the ball to turn. So he should be pitching it outside the off stump and then get it to turn into the right-handed batsman. He instead is bowling it too straight and hence the ball is turning down the leg side. |
| 28.5 : I Sharma to D Elgar, Good fielding by the captain! Ishant bowls it on a length around off, gets it to shape away. Elgar tries to defend but gets an outside edge towards Kohli at third slip who dives to his left and stops it. There was no third man in place, he stops a certain boundary. |
| 28.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, On the pads, Elgar flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 29.1 : R Ashwin to D Elgar, Driven through the covers by the batsman. |
| 29.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on off, Elgar defends it onto the ground. |
| 29.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, OUT! CAUGHT! What a catch! Elgar would consider himself very unfortunate here. He uses his feet as he tries to get to the pitch of the ball. Ashwin sees it and shortens his length on off. Elgar adjusts and pushes it uppishly through the off side. The ball goes onto hit Vijay on his chest at silly point. He does well to keep his eyes on the ball and grabs it on the second attempt. A much-needed wicket here for India and it is Ashwin who provides it, though a lot of credit |
| Hashim Amla walks out to the middle. |
| 29.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floats it up on off, Amla defends it solidly. |
| 29.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Wide down the leg side, No trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 29.6 : R Ashwin to H Amla, Almost another! Ashwin gives it air on off. It tuns back in sharply. Amla tries to defend but gets an inside edge which lobs on the pitch. Vijay puts in a full stretch dive but can't get to it. |
| 30.1 : I Sharma to Markram, Good length on off, Markram defends it off the front foot. |
| 30.2 : I Sharma to Markram, Worked with the angle towards mid-wicket. |
| 30.3 : I Sharma to Markram, Lands it on a length around off, Markram is solid in defense. |
| 30.4 : I Sharma to Markram, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 30.5 : I Sharma to Markram, 1 run. |
| 30.6 : I Sharma to Amla, This one is down the leg side and the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 31.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Dances down the track and defends it. |
| 31.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Ashwin tosses it up but ends up bowling too full on middle, Markram whips it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 31.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter on off, Amla rocks back and defends it. |
| 31.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 31.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Slower through the air on off, gets some extra bounce on that one. The ball hits Amla high on the bat as he tries to defend it. Ashwin is really asking questions here. |
| 31.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Gives it a lot of air on middle, the ball turns back in. Amla tries to drive but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 32.1 : I Sharma to Markram, FOUR! Poor by Ishant! He bowls it on the pads, a gift for Markram who flicks it down to fine leg to fetch himself a boundary. |
| 32.2 : I Sharma to Markram, Back to the probing line! He lands it on a length on off, Markram defends it solidly. |
| 32.3 : I Sharma to Markram, Again, on a length around off. Markram defends it towards mid off. Ishant has been very disciplined today. The batsman though have done very well to play him watchfully and put away the rare bad balls he is bowling. |
| 32.4 : I Sharma to Markram, Flicks the ball towards mid-wicket with the angle for a run. |
| 32.5 : I Sharma to Amla, Fuller in length on off, shapes back in late. Amla defends it off the front foot. |
| 32.6 : I Sharma to Amla, Trying to wrap Amla on his pads as he is walking across. Ishant bowls an inswinger on middle. Amla is up for the task as he gets his bat down in time and defends it. |
| 33.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Flatter on off, Markram rocks back and defends it. |
| 33.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tosses it up on off, Markram plants his front foot ahead and defends it. |
| 33.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it with the spin towards leg slip. |
| 33.4 : R Ashwin to A Markram, A rare poor delivery by Ashwin, he bowls it shorter in length outside off, Markram fails to put it away as he cuts it straight to point. |
| 33.5 : R Ashwin to Markram, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, Gives it a nice loop on middle, Markram defends it off the front foot. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is back into the attack. |
| 34.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, On a length on middle, skids off the surface. Amla tries to flick but is beaten by pace. The ball hits him on the thigh pad and goes towards point for a leg bye. |
| 34.2 : J Bumrah to Markram, On a length around off, jags back in also comes faster off the surface. Markram tries to defend by hoping but he gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 34.3 : J Bumrah to Markram, Goes around the wicket and bangs it in short. Markram sees it early and pulls it down towards fine leg for a run. The fielder there slips as he tries throw and ends up throwing a wayward one. There is no one backing up and the Indians concede an extra run. |
| 34.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, A bouncer! Way down the leg side. |
| 34.5 : J Bumrah to Markram, On the pads, Markram works it towards deep square leg to change strike. |
| 34.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Amla is off the mark after 12 deliveries! He gets a ball on his pads which he flicks to deep square leg for an easy single. |
| 35.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! TOP SHOT! This might well be the release shot for Hashim Amla. Ashwin bowls it short outside off, Amla pushes it through covers for a boundary. The 100 is also up for South Africa. |
| 35.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 35.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, Tosses it up on middle, Amla plays it to mid-wicket. |
| 35.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floats it up on off, Amla prods forward and blocks it. |
| 35.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Works it with the spin towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 35.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, Gives it air on off, gets it to turn back in. Markram tries to defend but gets an inside edge, through backward square leg for a run. |
| 36.1 : J Bumrah to Markram, Bangs it in short on off, Markram hops and taps it towards point for a quick run. |
| 36.2 : J Bumrah to Amla, FOUR! WOW! The shot which indicates he is back in form? Bumrah bowls it on the pads, Amla works it past mid on where Ashwin puts in a lazy effort to stop the ball. It beats his dive and races to the fence. Jonty Rhodes on air mentions he had put in that dive, just to impress his captain. |
| 36.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, Short and wide outside off, Amla tries to cut but is beaten by the extra bounce. Poor there from Amla he need not go after those. |
| 36.4 : J Bumrah to Amla, Better from the veteran. Bumrah bowls it on a length outside off, Amla lets it be. |
| 36.5 : J Bumrah to Amla, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 36.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Amla defends it off the back foot. |
| 37.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 37.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tosses it up on off, Markram defends it solidly. |
| 37.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, FOUR! A rare bad ball by Ashwin and Markram takes full toll of it. Ashwin bowls this one very full on middle, Markram makes it into a low full toss and sweeps it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 37.4 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it with the spin towards mid-wicket. |
| 37.5 : R Ashwin to Markram, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 37.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, Floats it on middle, Markram whips it through mid-wicket to keep strike. |
| 38.1 : J Bumrah to Markram, Back of a length on off, Markram stands tall and punches it through covers for a couple. |
| 38.2 : J Bumrah to Markram, A short ball, Bumrah gets tennis-ball like bounce on this one. Markram mistimes his cut through point for a run. |
| 38.3 : J Bumrah to Markram, The batsman plays a pull shot to this short delivery. |
| 38.4 : J Bumrah to Markram, Another short ball on middle, a cross-seam delivery. Markram is early onto his pull and it goes off the toe-end towards mid on. |
| 38.5 : Bumrah to A Markram, FOUR! Fortune favours the brave! Bumrah bowls a foruth bumper in a row. Markram tries to pull but gets a top edge which goes over the keeper for a boundary. |
| 38.6 : J Bumrah to Markram, Another bouncer but too high. The batsman evades it. |
| 39.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! these two might have decided to take on Ashwin here. He comes down the track and lofts it over mid on for a boundary. |
| 39.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 39.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, DROPPED! A very tough chance but an excellent effort by Pandya. Ashwin floats it up on off, gets it to turn back in. Amla tries to drive but gets it off the inner half, uppishly to the left of Pandya at short mid-wicket. He puts in a full length dive and tries to catch it with one hand. He gets a hand to it but can't hang on as the ball rolls towards mid on. India would have hoped for that to stick as it would have been a huge wicket. |
| 39.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 39.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Works it to mid-wicket with the spin for a run. |
| 39.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Mohammed Shami is back into the attack. He was poor in the first session. Can he get it right here? |
| 40.1 : M Shami to Amla, Good length on off, Amla defends it solidly. |
| 40.2 : M Shami to Amla, Bouncer on middle, Amla ducks under it. |
| 40.3 : M Shami to Amla, Back of a length on off, Amla defends it off the back foot and onto the ground. The ball after bouncing, rolls back towards the stumps. Hashim shows good awareness as he kicks it away. |
| 40.4 : M Shami to Amla, FOUR! Nicely played! Shami lands it on a length around off, offers a little width. It is enough for Amla as he guides it down towards the third man fence. |
| 40.5 : M Shami to Amla, Length outside off, Amla opts not to play at it. |
| 40.6 : M Shami to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 41.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Floats it on off, Markram defends it by pressing forward. |
| 41.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, FOUR! Short and outside off, not a good ball to bowl with only two men on the off side. Markram rocks back and punches it through covers. Pujara from point, gives it a chase, puts in a dive but all in vain. |
| 41.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Works it with the spin through square leg for a run. 50-run stand between the two comes up with that run. |
| 41.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 41.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Tosses it up on middle, Amla uses his wrists to whip it but finds mid-wicket. |
| 41.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Quicker outside off, Amla lets it be. |
| 42.1 : M Shami to Markram, FOUR! Shami has been very poor today! He bangs a short ball outside off, Markram jumps and cuts it over cover-point for a boundary. He is a tall lad and he making great use of his height here. |
| 42.2 : M Shami to Markram, Better by Shami but he hasn't hit this length on consistent basis. He bowls it on a length around off, Amla defends it solidly. |
| 42.3 : M Shami to Markram, Goes wide of the crease and angles it into the pads, Markam works it around the corner for an easy run. |
| 42.4 : M Shami to Amla, Bowls it in the zone outside off, Amla shoulders his arms to it. |
| 42.5 : M Shami to Amla, Fuller in length on middle, Amla is half-forward as he defends it. |
| 42.6 : M Shami to Amla, Bowls the sucker ball outside off, Amla resists and leaves it through to the keeper. |
| DRINKS! South Africa despite losing Elgar early have continued piling on the runs. The Indians got off to the perfect start after the break as they got rid of Elgar early but they could not capitalize as the pair of Amla and Markam have stitched a 50-run stand. |
| 43.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Floated around off, defended towards short leg. |
| 43.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, FOUR! Occasionally Ashwin slips a not-so-good ball and the Proteas are too good to miss out. This is flatter and shorter outside off, Markram is too good to miss out. He slaps it powerfully through covers, beating the man in the deep. Collects a boundary and moves to 92. |
| There is a deep point in place. However, that does not please Michael Holding one bit. He would love to see a 5-4 off side field but not such a defensive one. |
| 43.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Aiden has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total. |
| 43.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Amla lunges forward in defense to this one. |
| 43.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Straighter one outside off, Amla covers his sticks and lets it go. |
| 43.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floated full around off, Amla sweeps it straight to square leg. |
| 44.1 : M Shami to Markram, This one is punched off the back foot to covers. |
| 44.2 : M Shami to Markram, In line of the off stump, blocked off the back foot. |
| 44.3 : M Shami to Markram, Fuller outside off, driven straight to point. |
| 44.4 : M Shami to Markram, Banged short around off, Markram ducks to let that pass. |
| 44.5 : M Shami to Markram, Shami is mixing it well in this over. Slips this one fuller on off, Aiden defends this one hurriedly. |
| 44.6 : M Shami to Markram, Length delivery on off, defended from the crease towards point. A maiden for Shami. |
| 45.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter around off at 89 kph, Amla hangs back and clips it to mid-wicket. |
| 45.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Again. Ashwin bowls this on a shorter length outside off. The lack of pace on the track means that Amla has ample time to go back, punch this through covers and come back for two runs. |
| 45.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter on the pads, worked away round the corner. |
| 45.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Served on off, whipped away to mid-wicket. |
| 45.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 45.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, This one is flicked away past short leg for nothing. |
| 46.1 : M Shami to A Markram, Fuller ball angling in on middle and leg, driven straight to the man at mid on. |
| 46.2 : M Shami to A Markram, This is on a length outside off, Aiden slaps it through cover-point and gets to the other end. The figure against his name says 94. |
| 46.3 : M Shami to Amla, Fuller and wider outside off, the ball swings away a touch. Nothing doing, says Amla as he watches it sail to the keeper. Swing? Hmmm... |
| 46.4 : M Shami to Amla, Slanting in from outside off, it comes in a touch after pitching. Amla does well to counter it with a straight bat defense. |
| 46.5 : M Shami to Amla, Straight and full on off, Amla stays solid in defense. |
| What happened, Shami? Heat getting on to him? After he bowled the previous one, he got down on his haunches, clinching his head. It is very hot out there indeed, say the on-air commentators. |
| 46.6 : M Shami to Amla, Length ball on off, Amla looks to force it through the off side. But all he manages to do is an inside edge onto his front pad. |
| Well.... Shami is seen walking off now. |
| 47.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 47.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tossed up outside off, blocked off the front foot onto the ground. |
| DRS time! Aiden Markram feels he isn't gone in the 90s again... Is ruled out caught behind and he opts to challenge the call. |
| 47.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, OUT! Aiden Markram has to depart on 94. He was dismissed on his debut innings on 97 and here is another one. Ashwin floats this outside off, Markram looks to defend, thinking the ball to spin in. But the ball goes straight on and takes a thin outside edge. Parthiv Patel takes that and begins celebrating and so do the Indians. The umpire agrees. However, Markram feels he hasn't nicked it, like all the batters in the 90s feel. Hence he opts for the DRS. Snicko though, br |
| Mr. 360, AB de Villiers strides out to the middle next. He played a couple of wonderful knocks in the previous game to take it away from the opposition. Let's see how he fares today. |
| 47.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 47.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is flicked away towards mid-wicket. |
| 47.6 : R Ashwin to Villiers, FOUR! No, no, no, shouts Kohli from first slip as he sees Ashwin bowls this a touch short. Allows de Villiers enough time to go back and cut it through point to open his account with a boundary. |
| Ishant Sharma back on now. Good moves this from Kohli as he looks to attack from both ends now. |
| 48.1 : I Sharma to Amla, Sharma sprays this down the leg side, Amla misses the flick. |
| 48.2 : I Sharma to Amla, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 48.3 : I Sharma to Amla, This one is played defensively towards mid-wicket. |
| 48.4 : I Sharma to Amla, Fuller around off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 48.5 : I Sharma to Amla, FOUR! Shot! Amla stands exposing the stumps and wants Ishant to bowl in the line of the stumps. Sharma does so on a fuller length. Immediately the Mighty Hash shuffles across and clips it through mid-wicket and helps himself to a boundary. |
| 48.6 : I Sharma to Amla, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 49.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Outside off on a shorter length, ABD goes back and glides it through backward point for a couple. |
| 49.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated on off, defended to the leg side. |
| 49.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is flicked round the corner for one. |
| 49.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Tossed up on off, Hashim displays the forward defense. |
| 49.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! Ever seen a wonderful wristy stroke? Watch this. Ashwin flights this one around off, Amla gets half-forward and just whips it in front of square on the leg side. Shouts of 'catch it' can be heard. No one to do that and the ball races away to the fence. He moves to 29 now. |
| 49.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Amla hits it in the same region but now there is a fielder in the deep. One run added to the tally. |
| 50.1 : I Sharma to Amla, Outside off, Amla shoulders arms. |
| 50.2 : I Sharma to Amla, DROPPED! Definitely but not an easy one for sure. Sharma angles this in to Amla, he looks to collect easy runs by tickling that away. But he ends up nicking it and Patel messes the chance that came his way. He goes at it with both hands and fails to cling on to that. Costly, very costly. Gavaskar on air rightly reckons that Amla isn't one you should be giving another life. What's more, a run results as well. |
| 50.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, This is outside off, de Villiers lets it go. |
| 50.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, On the pads, flicked away to mid-wicket. |
| 50.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, De Villiers gets to the other end by turning it through mid-wicket. |
| 50.6 : I Sharma to Amla, Length ball on off, kept out towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 51.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, FOUR! Never a quiet moment when AB's on show! Ashwin tosses it up outside off, de Villers gets out the reverse sweep. Makes good connection and the ball races away to the third man fence. |
| 51.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated around off, defended towards short leg. |
| 51.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is outside off, driven through mid off for one. |
| 51.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, On the pads, clipped to square leg. |
| 51.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Amla goes back to this one and keeps it out watchfully. |
| 51.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floated full around middle, bunted with a straight bat. |
| 52.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Fuller ball aiming at the off stump, de Villiers gets his bat down nicely and defends it to the off side. |
| 52.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, Angling into the batter on a length, ABD misses the flick and gets rapped on the knee-roll. The ball rolls towards the keeper. |
| 52.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, Length ball just around off, de Villiers hangs back and defends it towards the bowler. |
| 52.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Full ball slanting in, defended towards mid-wicket. |
| 52.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 52.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, On a length angling in, AB nudges it to fine leg for one. |
| Hardik Pandya to have a burst before Tea. The partial reason could be that Ashwin had bowled 17 overs non-stop from this end. Looking at the track and the conditions, India would want their premier spinner to bowl more post the break. |
| 53.1 : H Pandya to Villiers, Played to the point region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 53.2 : H Pandya to Amla, This one is defended from the crease by HA. |
| 53.3 : H Pandya to Amla, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 53.4 : H Pandya to Amla, Full on off, defended from the crease. |
| 53.5 : H Pandya to Amla, Amla looks to turn it to the on side but is a touch early into the shot. Gets a soft leading edge towards the bowler. |
| 53.6 : H Pandya to Amla, Length ball outside off, punched through point for a single. |
| Jasprit Bumrah to have bowl now. |
| 54.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, This one is kept out from the crease with a straight bat face. |
| 54.2 : J Bumrah to Amla, Length ball outside off, punched towards covers. |
| 54.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, This delivery is clipped down to fine leg for one. |
| 54.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, How many times have we seen this today? A batter almost chopping it on. Bumrah lands it on a length outside off, angling in to AB. He looks to defend but gets an inside edge. The ball bounces just over the stumps. Elgar was also a beneficiary of such happenings earleri in the morning. |
| 54.5 : J Bumrah to Villiers, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Interesting. As Bumrah completes his bowling action, his right hand ends up being between his legs. The on-air commentators joke that in times when he gets tired and doesn't have a control on his arm, it could hit him on the unmentionable part. |
| 54.6 : J Bumrah to Villiers, This is outside off, driven to covers. |
| 55.1 : H Pandya to Amla, Slanting in on the pads, played away to fine leg for one. |
| 55.2 : H Pandya to Villiers, Four leg byes! No, not the ideal line from Pandya this. He strays on the pads and delivers it on a length. De Villiers just misses the clip and gets it off his pads. The ball races away fine to the fence. 100 runs in this session now. |
| 55.3 : H Pandya to Villiers, Driven through mid off by the batsman. |
| 55.4 : H Pandya to Villiers, This is played through point for one. |
| 55.5 : H Pandya to Amla, Hashim works this down to fine leg and gets to the other end. |
| Last ball before Tea... |
| 55.6 : H Pandya to Villiers, Back of a length ball outside off, de Villiers spots that and lets it be. That's TEA, DAY 1! |
| If the first session was a goods train, this one was an express train. Runs have come at over 3.50 an over in this period and thus, in spite of the couple of wickets taken, South Africa will savour the tea. It was a session of missed opportunities for them. They missed out having a 100-run opening stand by just 15 runs and then Markram missed out on his ton by a mere 6 runs. |
| Talking about missed chances, India weren't far either. They missed a couple of chances, potentially costly ones. Panyda and Patel were the generous folks who granted a couple of lives to Amla. Although Pandya's one was one that sticks, the gloveman's miss was a one that shouldn't have been. Amla was on 14 and 30 respectively when he made those offerings. Now he is slowly ticking on 35. |
| What do we have in store for the final passage of play for the day? For starters, we should be having 34 overs to play. Whether that span will see an Indian fightback or a Protean surge, we'll wait and watch. Do join us shortly. |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for what should be a longish session. The track seems to be good for more runs and there's hardly any misbehavior there. Ashwin is extracting some spin and we can gear ourselves up to watch the tweaker bowl for long. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are out in the middle now. Jasprit Bumrah will kick off the proceedings with the ball. |
| 56.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, FOUR! Short, wide, punished. Amla gets a nice snack to go with the tea break. Bumrah bowls a nothing ball, Amla just stands tall and cracks it through cover-point for a boundary. Not a soul moved. |
| 56.2 : J Bumrah to Amla, Bowled from wide of the crease, Hashim blocks. |
| 56.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, Length ball outside off, Amla mistimes his punch to the covers. |
| 56.4 : J Bumrah to Amla, Fuller in line of the stumps, kept out towards mid-wicket. |
| 56.5 : J Bumrah to Amla, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 56.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Slanting in full on off, Amla strides forward and presents a straight bat to block. Good 5 balls after the boundary ball. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin back on. |
| 57.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated in line of the stumps, defended with a straight bat face. |
| 57.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 57.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Flatter on the stumps, punched back towards the bowler. |
| 57.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Loopy ball around middle, defended. |
| 57.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is worked off the pads for one run. |
| 57.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Amla keeps this one out from the crease. |
| 58.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Full length ball outside off, de Villiers guides towards gully on the bounce. There is a shy at the striker's end but misses. |
| 58.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Length ball, turned away through square leg for one. |
| 58.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 58.4 : J Bumrah to H Amla, FOUR! Clever yet streaky. Bumrah lands it on a length outside off, Amla hangs back and looks to guide it to third man. But he ends up getting a thick outside edge through the slip cordon. Not the desired way but the desired result. |
| 58.5 : J Bumrah to Amla, This is well outside off, Amla plays inside the line and lets it be. |
| 58.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Another inside edge! Around off, Amla looks to play that but gets an inside edge past the leg stump. |
| 59.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated around middle and leg, defended from the crease. |
| 59.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is eased through mid-wicket for one. |
| 59.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flighted a bit more in line of the stumps, there is some extra bounce on that as well. Amla looks to keep it out but gets it high off the bat. |
| 59.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, This has been negotiated with a straight bat defense. |
| 59.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, HA has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 59.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Another one in line of the stumps, bunted onto the ground. |
| 60.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Fuller on off, knocked to mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 60.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Length ball angling in, de Villiers gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 60.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, This one is defended off the inner half to the leg side. |
| 60.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 60.5 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Ouch! Poor Patel. Bumrah dishes out a juicy full toss outside off that catches even de Villiers by surprise. He looks to drive but misses. Parthiv gets a bad bounce as the ball climbs a bit more and hits him on the chest. It is painful indeed. |
| 60.6 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Fuller on off, driven back. |
| 61.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! Nice use of the feet and good timing on that. Ashwin floats it around off and middle, Amla gets down the track, takes it on the full and pushes it back down the ground. No chance for mid off and it is a boundary that takes Amla to 47. |
| 61.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter on the stumps, defended. |
| 61.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, 50-run stand between Amla and de Villiers. Third such stand for as many wickets for South Africa. Amla gets the milestone by pushing it through covers. |
| 61.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is turned towards mid-wicket for nothing. |
| 61.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 61.6 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Worked away through square leg for one. |
| Ishant Sharma is brought back. |
| 62.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Well outside off, Amla lets it be unhindered. |
| 62.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, Full on off, driven to mid off. |
| Kepler Wessels reckons there may be reverse swing on offer. He observes that Ishant Sharma is seen holding the ball in his left hand as he runs into bowl. |
| 62.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, Outside off, left alone. |
| 62.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, OUT! Finally Ishant Sharma is rewarded. He was bowling probing lines today without much success. Now he gets the fruit for his efforts. Sometimes, you bowl peaches and yet fail to get the desired wicket and on other days, your not-so-good balls reward you. It has been the latter with Ishant here. He delivers this on a length that is a touch short, well outside off, AB de Villiers could have well watched it sail through to Patel. But he opts to slap it away and pays th |
| Skipper Faf du Plessis is the next batter in. This isn't the happiest hunting ground for him and the conditions seem good for him to change the record for good. |
| 62.5 : I Sharma to Plessis, This is well outside off, the Protea skipper just lets it be. |
| 62.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Edged but safe! Du Plessis gets an outside edge to this one that goes on the bounce to gully. |
| 63.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floated full in line of the stumps, defended from the crease. |
| 63.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 63.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, Amla lunges forward to block this one watchfully. |
| 63.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! Nicely driven. Tossed up ball outside off, Amla gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it through covers. Destination boundary line for the ball there. It is not just another boundary. That brings up Amla's 50, his 36th in the longest format. This would help him shake off his poor run of form. Well played, Hash! |
| 63.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Forward defence displayed to this one in line of the stumps. |
| 63.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 64.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 64.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Banged short outside off, du Plessis looks to pull but aborts the idea. |
| 64.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Well done Pujara. This ball is driven square on the off side, Cheteshwar dives and makes a half-stop. A run results and Faf gets off the mark. |
| 64.4 : I Sharma to Amla, FOUR! Short ball on off, pulled away nicely through backward square leg. The ball speeds away to the fence in no time. |
| 64.5 : I Sharma to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 64.6 : I Sharma to Amla, Full on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 65.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated around off, worked away towards mid-wicket for no run. |
| 65.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Just short! Ashwin serves it around middle and leg, spinning in. Du Plessis looks to work it to the on side but the ball lands just short of Pujara at leg gully. |
| 65.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This one is defended towards short leg. |
| 65.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Lots of chatter around the bat as de Plessis blocks this towards short leg. Trust Indians to be on the money when their spinners have a part to play. |
| 65.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This one is turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 65.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| Mohammed Shami is brought back to bowl. Wonder how good he is feeling as he had walked off just before tea. Perhaps there is reverse swing on offer and hence Kohli has gone to Shami here. Also, the Indians are seen throwing the ball on the bounce, in order to scuff up on side which will aid reverse swing. |
| 66.1 : M Shami to Amla, Outside off, left alone. |
| 66.2 : M Shami to Amla, Careful! Amla flashes at one wide outside off, but misses. He has lost his wicket twice in the previous game attempting a similar shot and he would do well to be careful. |
| 66.3 : M Shami to Amla, This is well outside off, left alone. |
| 66.4 : M Shami to Amla, Fuller on the stumps, pushed towards mid-wicket. |
| 66.5 : M Shami to H Amla, FOUR! Much better! Shami bowls this on a length outside off, Amla moves across a bit and slaps it through cover-point. Such has been the timing that the ball speeds away to the fence, beating the man in the deep who was running to his right. |
| 66.6 : M Shami to Amla, Played to the point region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 67.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Hashim has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 67.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floated on the stumps, driven back towards the bowler. |
| 67.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, FOUR! Lovely, lovely stroke! Ashwin gives more air to this one and serves it full outside off. Amla gets to the pitch of the ball and drives it nicely through covers for a boundary. |
| 67.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter outside off, cut through point for one. |
| 67.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 67.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Du Plessis gets forward and smothers this one into the ground. |
| 68.1 : M Shami to Amla, In line of the stumps, blocked from the crease. |
| 68.2 : M Shami to Amla, Good effort from Vijay! Amla works this one towards mid-wicket where the fielder puts in the dive. Doesn't stop it cleanly but prevents a run. |
| 68.3 : M Shami to Amla, Just outside off, pushed through point for one. |
| 68.4 : M Shami to du Plessis, FOUR! Oh Ishant! Pollock says that he's put in a big effort there. Shami overpitches this one on the stumps, du Plessis drives it down the ground. Sharma gets to his left, puts in the slide but fails to stop the ball. A boundary it is. |
| 68.5 : M Shami to Plessis, Defended off the back foot towards covers. |
| 68.6 : M Shami to Plessis, This is a slower off-cutter on off, digged out towards gully. 125 kph shows the speedometer. |
| 69.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Floated full on off, pushes it towards mid-wicket. |
| 69.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Outside off, defended towards covers. |
| 69.3 : R Ashwin to H Amla, This ball is eased towards mid on. |
| 69.4 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 69.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, In line of the stumps, Amla gets ahead and bunts it. |
| 69.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, Now a run taken after playing it through mid-wicket. |
| 70.1 : M Shami to Amla, Short ball again, pulled to the man at deep square leg for one. |
| 70.2 : M Shami to du Plessis, Another back of a length ball on off, pulled away through square leg with a cross bat for a single. |
| 70.3 : M Shami to Amla, After a couple of short balls, Shami pitches it full on middle and leg. Amla drives it down towards mid on. |
| 70.4 : M Shami to Amla, Amla has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 70.5 : M Shami to Amla, Fuller on off, pushed defensively towards mid off. This was delivered at 140 kph. |
| 70.6 : M Shami to Amla, Good running. This is fuller around off, Amla gets ahead and taps it towards covers. He does so with his bat and pad close together and gets to the other end. |
| 71.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Low full toss on the stumps, whipped away towards wide mid on for one. |
| 71.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Comes round the wicket to Faf and bowls it around middle and leg. He goes back and works it past short leg for one. |
| 71.3 : R Ashwin to Amla, This one is worked away to mid-wicket. |
| 71.4 : R Ashwin to H Amla, FOUR! The frequency with which Ashwin has dished out bad balls today is not good for anybody's liking. He throws this wide outside off, allows Amla to exploit the off side. He does so gleefully and drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 71.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Flatter outside off, Amla just lets it be. |
| 71.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, HA has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Hardik Pandya back on. |
| 72.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball in line of the stumps, defended towards mid-wicket. |
| 72.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 72.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Angled down the leg side, du Plessis misses the flick. |
| 72.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Outside off, defended towards covers. |
| 72.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, On the pads, flicked away round the corner for one. |
| 72.6 : H Pandya to Amla, This length ball is glided to third man for one. |
| Double change. Jasprit Bumrah has the ball in hand now. |
| 73.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, Full length ball outside off, Amla plays it with soft hands towards point and moves to 77. |
| 73.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Length ball outside off on a shorter side, punched towards covers. |
| 73.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, This one stayed low, as per the batter's reaction. Length ball a touch on the fuller side. Du Plessis crouches low as he defends this. |
| 73.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, FDP shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 73.5 : J Bumrah to Plessis, On a length outside off, pushed defensively towards mid off. |
| 73.6 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Another ball outside off, Faf shoulders arms. |
| 74.1 : H Pandya to Amla, This is fuller outside off, Amla doesn't play at that. |
| 74.2 : H Pandya to Amla, Full ball aiming at the off stick, Amla gets behind the line and defends this. |
| 74.3 : H Pandya to Amla, Pandya goes wider of the crease and slants this in on a length. Amla works this through square leg for one. |
| 74.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, This one is worked down the leg side for one. |
| Wise heads! Shaun Pollock asks Michael Holding whether India should take the second new ball immediately when it's due (5 overs after this one). The latter opines that if a wicket doesn't fall, they should. Wonder if that's the only view. Would India risk taking it and then giving runs at a fair clip, as we know the new ball to travel across the surface pretty quickly. |
| 74.5 : H Pandya to H Amla, Just outside off, pushed through point for a single. Amla moves to 79 now. |
| 74.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, This ball is defended off the front foot watchfully. |
| 75.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 75.2 : J Bumrah to Amla, Angled in full on off, defended solidly by Amla. |
| 75.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, Similar ball on off, Amla presents a straight bat face to keep it out. |
| 75.4 : J Bumrah to Amla, Hash gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 75.5 : J Bumrah to Amla, This is angled in and the ball stays low. Amla plays it with an angled bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 75.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Length ball outside off, Amla just lets it be. |
| Time for drinks! South Africa are successfully keeping the Indians at bay. Although they are failing to convert their 50-runs stands to something substantial, the runs are flowing slowly. Amla is on course to get to yet another Test hundred. The visitors are desperately in need of a breakthrough and who will Kohli turn to? The only solace for them will be that the Proteas aren't running away with the game at this stage as their run rate is pretty low. |
| 76.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, A wide ball outside off, it was very wide. The batsman is not interested to play at it. |
| 76.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Angles it into the batsman. Faf works it towards square leg and refuses a run. |
| 76.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Back of a length on off, du Plessis pushes it to mid off. |
| 76.4 : H Pandya to du Plessis, Lands it on a length around off, just where Pandya should be bowling. The batsman is solid in defense. |
| 76.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Shorter in length outside off, Faf was looking to pull initially but the ball stays a touch low. He adjusts and defends it. This certainly is not a wicket on which you can trust the bounce. |
| 76.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, Good length on off, defends it towards covers. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is back into the attack. |
| 77.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Tosses it up outside off, Amla goes back and works it to short leg. |
| 77.2 : R Ashwin to Amla, Once again he attacks the stumps, Amla rocks back and tucks it around the corner for a single. |
| 77.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Comes around the wicket and floats it full outside off, Faf lunges forward and defends it. |
| 77.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Once again, an example of why the bounce cannot be trusted! Ashwin bowls a flighted ball on off, Faf goes back to defend it but the ball bounces a touch extra. Surprises du Plessis. The ball takes the inside edge and hits him on the body and onto the ground as he tries to defend. |
| 77.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Gives it air on middle, tucked to mid-wicket. |
| 77.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 78.1 : H Pandya to Amla, Goes wide of the crease and angles it into the pads of the batsman. He flicks it to square leg. |
| 78.2 : H Pandya to Amla, A knuckle ball but a full toss on off, Amla mistimes his drive to mid on. He will be disappointed there as he should have put that away. |
| 78.3 : H Pandya to Amla, Length ball outside off, Amla lets it be. |
| 78.4 : H Pandya to Amla, Once again bowls it on the pads, Amla works it around the corner for a run. |
| 78.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Better length! Pandya bowls it on off and lands it on a length. Faf is solid in defense. |
| 78.6 : H Pandya to du Plessis, Driven towards the mid on region. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| The on-air commentators make a fair point. Even though Ashwin has bowled one-third of the overs bowled by India today they still have a slow over-rate. Maybe the fast bowlers are taking their time and bowling due to the heat. |
| 79.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Tosses it up on off, Faf defends it. |
| 79.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Comes down the track and drives it to mid on. |
| 79.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman dances down the track but decides to defend it. |
| 79.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Again uses his feet and takes it on the full. The batsman drives it down to long on for a run. |
| 79.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Works it to deep mid-wicket for a run. Amla moves onto 82. |
| 79.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Slower through the air, du Plessis plants his front foot ahead and flicks it around the corner for a run. |
| The second new ball is now available. The question is will India take it immediately? |
| 80.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, The continue with the old ball. Pandya bowls it just short of a length on off, pushed to covers. |
| 80.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball on off, du Plessis drives it on the up to covers. |
| 80.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, A stifled appeal! Hardik comes running in and angles it into the batsman. The ball skids off the surface. Faf jumps as he tries to flick but misses to get hit on the thigh pad. The players appeal but the umpire is not interested. |
| 80.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Lands it on middle, with the shinier side on the inside. The ball shapes in sharply, the batsman works it towards square leg for a run. |
| Is Amla a goner? There is a direct hit at the non-striker's end and Amla is the man in question. Looking at Amla's body language he seems to be short. Brilliant work by Pandya and he is quite confident. |
| 80.5 : H Pandya to Amla, OUT! Amla is gone! A huge wicket for India courtesy a run out. Brilliant work by Hardik Pandya, great athleticism shown there by the youngster. He bangs it in short on middle, gets good bounce on that. Amla plays it quite well as he gets on top of the bounce and tucks it besides the pitch on the leg side. Du Plessis calls him for a run and Amla responds. Pandya runs quickly towards the ball, picks it up, swivels and BANG, he scores a direct hit at the non-striker's end a |
| Quinton de Kock walks out to the middle. |
| 80.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, FOUR! Strekay but Faf won't mind. Pandya lands it on a length around off, de Plessis tries to defend but gets an inside edge through fine leg for a boundary. |
| 81.1 : R Ashwin to de Kock, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! |
| 0.0 : Vernon Philander walks out at no. 7. |
| 81.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 81.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Works it to mid-wicket with the spin. |
| 81.4 : R Ashwin to Philander, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 81.5 : R Ashwin to Philander, Tosses it up on off, Philander defends it. |
| 81.6 : R Ashwin to Philander, Almost another chance. Philander flicks the ball with the turn, off the middle, uppishly towards short leg. He tries to catch it but is late to react and the ball hits him and falls onto the ground. |
| 82.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 82.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Shorter in length on off, Faf defends it off the back foot. |
| 82.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Good length on off, the batsman defends it. |
| 82.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Full and outside off, Plessis shoulders his arms to it. |
| 82.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, The batsman works it down the leg side. One run added to the total. |
| 82.6 : H Pandya to Philander, OUT! Confusion and a run out! Second of the innings! |
| Keshav Maharaj strides out. |
| 83.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, 1 run. |
| 83.2 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Worked with the spin towards mid-wicket. |
| 83.3 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 83.4 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Bowls it down the leg side, Maharaj works it to fine leg. |
| 83.5 : R Ashwin to K Maharaj, FOUR! Off the mark in style! Ashwin tosses it up on off but bowls it too full. Maharaj drives it straight down the ground for a boundary. |
| 83.6 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Wide down the leg side, No trouble at all for the batsman. |
| 84.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf defends it solidly. |
| 84.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Off cutter, Faf tries to flick but misses to get beaten on the inside. |
| 84.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Good length on off, Faf defends it solidly. |
| 84.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Bowls it down the leg side, Faf works it to square leg. |
| 84.5 : H Pandya to du Plessis, FOUR! Caressed! Full and on off, du Plessis leans into it and drives it through covers for a boundary. |
| 84.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 85.1 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 0.0 : Hardik Pandya is seen walking off the field. the reason is still unknown though. That might be the day for him? Let's see. |
| 85.2 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Tosses it up on off, Maharaj works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 85.3 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Once again played with the turn to mid-wicket. |
| 85.4 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, JUST SHORT! Ashwin floats it on leg stump, Maharaj works it around the corner but fails to keep it down. It goes towards Rahul at leg slip who goes down to catch it but the ball falls just short. Rahul though was up early, he has to stay low if he needs to catch these. |
| 85.5 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 85.6 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack. |
| 86.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Back of a length on off, Faf mistimes his punch to covers. |
| 86.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Just short of a length on off, Faf defends it off the back foot. |
| So India have decided to take the second new ball. 22 balls left in a day. They will hope to get one more with the new cherry. |
| 86.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 86.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, On the pads, the batsman flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 86.5 : Bumrah to Maharaj, A big appeal! A full ball on middle and leg. Maharaj tries to flick by planting his front foot across. He misses and the ball hits him on the pads. The players appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Going down leg! |
| 86.6 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Full and outside off, Keshav drives it through point for a run. |
| 87.1 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Flatter on off, Maharaj defends it onto the ground. |
| 87.2 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, FOUR! What just happened there? Has Jadeja, the sub not picked it? Ashwin drags his length back on middle, Maharaj goes back and pulls it uppishly towards deep mid-wicket. Jadeja there seems to have not picked it as the ball goes over his head and on the bounce into the fence. Virat Kohli is not a happy man there nor is Ashwin. |
| 87.3 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 87.4 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, Quicker on the stumps, Maharaj defends it off the back foot. |
| 87.5 : Ashwin to Maharaj, HOWZAT! A huge appeal again! It is all happening out there. Ashwin tosses this one up on middle, it turns back in. Maharaj tries to defend but it goes off something, maybe the pads to the right of Kohli who runs and completes a catch and appeals. The umpire though shakes his head. The Indians have a chat but then opt not to review. Good they did not as replays later on show that it was only pad. They also did appeal for an LBW but it was sliding down leg. |
| 87.6 : R Ashwin to Maharaj, DROPPED! A very, very tough chance though. Ashwin floats it on middle, Maharaj works it towards short leg. Who tries to catch but the ball comes and hits him as he is late to react. |
| Ishant Sharma to bowl the penultimate over of the day. |
| 88.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Wide outside off, the batsman lets it be. |
| 88.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, On a length outside off, Faf opts not to play at it. |
| 88.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Third leave in a row! He bowls it outside off, Faf shoulders his arms to it. Ishant is wasting the new ball here. |
| 88.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another delivery outside off, Faf need not play at it. |
| 88.5 : I Sharma to du Plessis, Fuller in length on off, Faf eases it to mid off. |
| 88.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Excellent length to finish! He bowls it on off, Faf defends it off the front foot. |
| Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the final over of the day. |
| 89.1 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, NO BALL! A bouncer which the batsman spots early and ducks under it. Bumrah, though, has overstepped. |
| J Bumrah to Maharaj, Another bumper and the Maharaj does well to evade it. |
| 89.2 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Another short ball, aimed at the rib cage of the batsman. He does well to tuck it around the corner for a run. |
| 89.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Length ball around off, nipping back in. Faf awkwardly defends it towards mid on. |
| 89.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Another delivery similar to the last one. Faf once again, in a similar manner plays it towards mid-wicket. Two more balls to survive today. |
| 89.5 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Angles it on the pads, Faf tries to tickle it fine but misses as the ball hits him on the thigh pad. It rolls towards short fine leg for a leg bye. Maharaj to face the last ball. |
| 89.6 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Maharaj survives! Bumrah goes for a yorker but ends up bowling a high full toss on off. Maharaj defends it solidly. THAT IS STUMPS ON DAY 1! |
| What an absorbing day of cricket! India have managed to fight their way back into the game in the last session, in which 34 overs were bowled, 87 runs were scored and 4 wickets were taken. It all started with Ishant Sharma knocking over de Villiers after the break. Amla and du Plessis did look like steadying the ship but a piece of brilliance in the field by Pandya saw the former being run out 18 short of a ton. Also, two quick wickets after that have seen the match hang in the balance heading i |
| Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, South Africa were cruising along till the last hour of play with Markram missing out on a ton by 6 runs. They looked set to post a big first innings score before wickets fell in heaps towards the end. Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers for the Indians with three wickets. He was well supported by Ishant Sharma who kept it tight. South Africa still have their captain out there and they would hope for him to take them to a respectable total. India, on the |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| We head into day 2 of the first Test between South Africa and India with both the teams even stevens. A late fightback by India has seen momentum shift towards them. They will look to carry the same forward today and try and bundle out the remaining South African batters as early as they can. |
| On the other hand, the home side has Faf du Plessis, its skipper, out in the middle. It would hope, he, along with the rest, can take it somewhere close to 400. There is, uneven bounce on the wicket but it is still a good surface to bat on. We had an enthralling day of cricket yesterday and we can hope for the same today. Stay tuned for all the action. |
| Shaun Pollock and Graeme Smith say there is no breeze and the sun is baking down. Opine the wicket is difficult to score if you land it on a length. Inform there is a grassy patch from which the bowlers can extract some bounce. Feel the area where the bowlers end their followthrough will start opening up in the days ahead which is advantage to Ashwin. End by saying it is a hard wicket and there isn't much wear and tear on it. |
| Bright sunshine welcomes us in Centurion and we are all set for the action to begin. The Indian side is seen in a huddle and the players now make their way out to the middle. Faf du Plessis and Keshav Maharaj will resume from where they left off yesterday. Ishant Sharma will start the proceedings for India. He has two slips and a gully in place. Here we go... |
| 90.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Action straightaway! Ishant lands it on a length around off, gets it to jag back in sharply. It also bounces a touch more. Faf plants his front foot across and tries to leave it but the ball hits him high on the back pad. The Indian fielders get quite excited but Ishant does not appeal. |
| 90.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Good length outside off, this one does not shape in after pitching. Du Plessis makes a comfortable leave. |
| 90.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another length ball outside off, Faf is not interested in playing at it. |
| 90.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, Well bowled! He bowls a yorker on middle, Faf digs it out to mid on. |
| 90.5 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another inswinger from outside off, du Plessis makes a good leave. |
| 90.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, First run for South Africa! Ishant bowls it on a length around off, Faf defends it towards point for a quick run. He will keep strike in the next over. A good over by Ishant. He got some movement there which will encourage him. |
| Jasprit Bumrah will bowl from the other end. |
| 91.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, That has stayed low! Signs of the wicket being uneven straightaway! Bumrah comes running in and angles it into the batsman. The ball stays a touch low. Faf du Plessis adjusts well and flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 91.2 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Shorter in length around off, Maharaj pushes it to covers. |
| 91.3 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Good length outside off, Maharaj lets it be. |
| 91.4 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Back of a length outside off, Maharaj tries to force it through the off side but gets an inside edge onto his pads. He is playing away from his body, not something he should do. |
| 91.5 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Short and wide outside off, Maharaj goes after it, away from his body to get beaten. Again, no foot movement. |
| 91.6 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Nicely bowled! He goes wide of the crease and angles it into the batsman. He gets it to shape away after pitching. Maharaj first thinks of playing at it but then pulls his bat away. |
| 92.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Once again on a probing length outside off, Ishant was so disciplined yesterday, bowling the same line. Faf does not fiddle with it and lets it through. |
| 92.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Keeping it tight outside off, Faf opts not to play at it. |
| 92.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Just ahead of a length, wanting the batsman to drive. Du Plessis does so but straight to the fielder. |
| 92.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, Short, aimed at the body of the batsman. Faf easily helps it on its way towards fine leg for a run. |
| 92.5 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Good length outside off, Maharaj lets it be. Ishant has bowled well but he has to make the batsman play a little more. For now he is bowling quite wide outside off. |
| 92.6 : I Sharma to Maharaj, And again, he bowls it wide outside off, Maharaj need not play at those. |
| A huge shout for LBW against Faf and the umpire shakes his head. Virat Kohli, after taking his time opts to review. Height can be an issue here as Faf is on his toes as he is playing that. |
| 93.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, NOT OUT! Yes, it is going over. India have lost both their reviews now. Bumrah comes running in and bowls it on off, he gets some inward movement. Faf is undone by it as he tries to flick. He misses and the ball hits him high on the pads. Bumrah appeals, he actually is pleading as he feels he has got his man. The umpire though stays put. After a long chat Kohli finally decides to review. Replays roll in and there is no bat involved but the ball is bouncing over the stu |
| 93.2 : J Bumrah to du Plessis, On a length around off, Faf tries to defend but it goes off the inside edge towards fine leg for a run. |
| 93.3 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 93.4 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Back of a length on off, pushed to covers. |
| 93.5 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Shorter in length on middle, Maharaj tucks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 93.6 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Once again the inswinging ball is creating problems for du Plessis! Bumrah bowls it on a length around off, it comes back in sharply. Faf gets an inside edge onto his pads as he tries to defend. |
| 94.1 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Nice shot! Maharaj is showing he can hold a bat here. Ishant bangs it in a little short outside off, Maharaj punches it through covers for a couple. |
| 94.2 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Back of a length on off, pushed to covers. |
| 94.3 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Fuller this time, this is where Ishant should be bowling. Maharaj though drives it back towards mid off. |
| 94.4 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Once again he bowls it very wide outside off, not hitting consistent lines. Maharaj leaves it. |
| 94.5 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Another one which beats the edge! On a length outside off, Maharaj goes after it loosely but gets beaten. |
| 94.6 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Bouncer! The surprise delivery, Maharaj though is not surprised as he ducks under it. |
| 95.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Bumrah goes wide of the crease and angles it around off. Faf keeps his eyes on the ball and leaves it. |
| 95.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Excellent effort by Shami! He has not had a good time with the ball but he saves a certain boundary there. Faf is gutted as run scoring has not been easy. He drives the full ball towards mid off where Shami dives to his left and makes an excellent stop. |
| 95.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, OUCH! That has hit Faf on the box. Bumrah once again lands it on a length around off, it jags back in. Du Plessis tries to defend but is done in by the inswing and the ball hits him on the box. He initially shows some pain but he is fine now. A tough lad! |
| 95.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 95.5 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Fuller in length on off, pushed to covers. |
| 95.6 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Wide enough for the batsman to not play at it. |
| 96.1 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Fuller in length on off, Maharaj defends it solidly. |
| 96.2 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Full outside off, the batsman lets it be. |
| 96.3 : I Sharma to Maharaj, FOUR! Excellent shot! Ishant offers width outside off once again but this time bowls it a touch shorter. Maharaj slaps it through cover-point, there was a fielder in the deep but he had no chance. |
| 96.4 : I Sharma to Maharaj, A bumper on middle, Maharaj ducks under it. |
| 96.5 : I Sharma to Maharaj, A good delivery to finish the over! Sharma angles it into the batsman from wide of the crease, gets it to shape away. Maharaj tries to defend but is beaten by the away movement. |
| 96.6 : I Sharma to Maharaj, That too is a quality shot but only for a run! Ishant bowls it on a length on off, Maharaj, on the up, drives it through covers for an easy run. |
| 97.1 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Catch it is the call but there is no edge! Bumrah serves a full ball outside off, wanting Maharaj to go after it. He reaches out in an attempt to drive but gets beaten. |
| 97.2 : J Bumrah to K Maharaj, Another fuller length ball, angling into the batsman. Maharaj tries to defend with his pad close. It strikes both and the players appeal but the umpire shakes his head. The question here is what did it hit first? Replays are not conclusive nevertheless the umpire feels it is bat first. |
| 97.3 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 97.4 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, Another short ball on middle, Keshav ducks under it. |
| 97.5 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, A full toss outside off, he might be going for a yorker which he is known to bowl. He does not quite get it right. Maharaj tries to drive but does not connect. |
| 97.6 : J Bumrah to Maharaj, A yorker this time on middle, Maharaj may have expected it as he digs it out to mid on. |
| Mohammed Shami is into the attack. |
| 98.1 : M Shami to Plessis, A good start by him! He bowls a fuller ball on middle, no swing on offer though. Faf times it to mid on. |
| 98.2 : M Shami to Plessis, Back of a length on middle, Faf works it around the corner to change strike. |
| 98.3 : M Shami to Maharaj, Just ahead of a length on off, defended towards covers. |
| 98.4 : M Shami to Maharaj, Back of a length outside off, Maharaj first thinks of going after it but then pulls out of the shot. |
| 98.5 : Shami to Maharaj, OUT! GONE! 100th Test wicket for Shami! He was poor yesterday but strikes in his first over today. Excellent delivery! Shami lands it on a length around off, it moves away ever so slightly, enough to take the edge as Maharaj tries to defend. Patel behind the stumps does the rest. The delivery was too good for a lower-order batsman to negotiate as it was on the fifth stump line which forces the batsman to play and Shami also got some extra bounce there. |
| Kagiso Rabada comes into bat. |
| 98.6 : M Shami to Rabada, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| Ravichandran Ashwin is into the attack. |
| 99.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flatter on off, Faf defends it off the back foot. |
| 99.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Faf comes down the track and tries to flick he misses and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 99.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Worked to mid-wicket with the turn. |
| 99.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 99.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman tries flicking a ball that is down the leg side. |
| 99.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floats it on off, Faf defends it off the front foot. |
| 100.1 : M Shami to Rabada, Bouncer on middle, Rabada watches it go through to the keeper. |
| 100.2 : M Shami to Rabada, Good bowling! He has found his rhythm today. Shami lands it on a length around off, angles it away from the batsman. Rabada hangs his bat out but gets beaten. |
| 100.3 : M Shami to Rabada, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 100.4 : M Shami to Rabada, Another testing delivery! Shami changes the angle this time and comes around the wicket. He lands it on off and gets it to shape away. Rabada pokes it it and gets beaten. |
| 100.5 : M Shami to Rabada, Fuller in length on middle, Rabada drives it towards Ishant who misfields and concedes a run. Sloppy from the tall fast bowler, I think all that bowling and the heat might have taken a toll on him as he was lazy in going down. |
| 100.6 : M Shami to Plessis, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 101.1 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Another appeal but the umpire this time too shakes his head! Ashwin bowls a straighter one on middle, Rabada plays for the turn but is beaten on the inside as the ball hits the pads. The players appeal but the umpire once again shakes his head. Might be sliding down leg. |
| 101.2 : R Ashwin to Rabada, BEATEN! Ashwin is bringing all his variation in play here! He tosses this one up on off, gets it to turn away. Rabada this time does not play for the spin and gets beaten. |
| 101.3 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Ohhhh! Ashwin has started off really well, he is causing all sorts of problems for the left-hander. He bowls this one flatter on middle, it turns away from the batsman. Rabada goes on the back foot and tries to defend but is beaten to get hit high on the pads. |
| 101.4 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 101.5 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Slower through the air outside off, Rabada lets it be. |
| 101.6 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 102.1 : M Shami to du Plessis, FOUR! TOP CLASS! Not a very bad delivery but Faf has timed that to perfection. Shami bowls it a touch fuller, not that full though. Du Plessis drives it on the up, past the diving mid off fielder for a boundary. |
| 102.2 : M Shami to Plessis, A good comeback by Shami! He bowls it on a length around off, the nall takes off after pitching. Faf does really well to take his gloves out of the way. |
| 102.3 : M Shami to Plessis, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 102.4 : M Shami to Plessis, On the pads, a poor ball by Shami. Faf fails to flick and gets hit on the pads. The ball rolls towards fine leg for an easy leg bye. |
| 102.5 : M Shami to Rabada, Comes around the wicket, from the angle he got Rabada in the first game. He bowls it on middle, Kagiso drives to mid on. |
| 102.6 : M Shami to Rabada, Wide enough for the batsman to not play at it. |
| 103.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Tosses it up on middle, workes it to square leg for a run. |
| 103.2 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Floats it up on middle, Rabada defends it off the front foot. |
| 103.3 : R Ashwin to Rabada, EDGED AND DROPPED! The poor catching in the slip cordon continues! The skipper is the man in fault here. Ashwin bowls a flighted delivery on off, it turns away. Rabada tries to defend but gets an outside edge which goes low and to the right of Kohli. He sticks one hand out and tries to grab it but fails to do so and the ball goes down towards third man. Meanwhile the batsman pick up a brace. |
| 103.4 : R Ashwin to Rabada, In the air... and dropped again! Ashwin might be tearing his hair out here. Rabada who has been struggling against the off spinner tries to take him on. He comes down the track and tries to go big but the ball turns away and he ends up slicing it in the air towards cover-point. There are two fielders converging for it, one from point and the other from covers. There is no calling between the two. Pandya who gets to the ball first from the latter position, gets two hand |
| 103.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Ashwin floats it outside off, Faf tries to sweep but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 103.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| Drinks! |
| 104.1 : M Shami to Rabada, On a length, angling away from Rabada, he glides it to third man for one. |
| 104.2 : M Shami to Plessis, This one is punched towards covers. |
| 104.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Jaffa! This is almost similar to the one that got Maharaj. Landing on off, moving away just a touch. Du Plessis is squared up in his defense but does well to not edge that. |
| 104.4 : M Shami to Plessis, FOUR! Much better. Length ball just outside off, du Plessis hangs back and punches this one. The ball goes through the vacant cover region and rolls away to the fence. |
| 104.5 : M Shami to Plessis, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. |
| 104.6 : M Shami to Plessis, This one is worked away through square leg to retain strike. |
| 105.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, On the pads, flicked towards short leg. |
| 105.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FOUR! Du Plessis is intent to not let Ashwin settle. Sees this ball tossed up, gets down and takes out the sweep shot. Makes good connection as the ball races away to the square leg fence. There were fielders in the deep but it was near none of them. |
| 105.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flatter ball is Ash's response. Flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 105.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FDP has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 105.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Worked away off his pads through square leg for one. |
| 105.6 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Seems to be the carrom ball, Rabada misses the flick and gets hit high on the pads. |
| Hardik Pandya to run in with the ball now. 14-4-37-0 read his figures. |
| 106.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball angling in, flicked away for a single. |
| 106.2 : H Pandya to Rabada, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 106.3 : H Pandya to Rabada, Edged but safe! On a length outside off, Rabada has a feel for that. The ball takes the outside edge but lands just short of Kohli's right at first slip and goes towards the third man fence. Two runs taken before Virat retrieves it. Perhaps, Patel could have gone for that catch as he had better chance of reaching it and hence taking it. |
| 106.4 : H Pandya to Rabada, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 106.5 : H Pandya to du Plessis, FOUR! Rohit Sharma should have done better feels Pandya there. He delivers it on a fuller length around off, du Plessis looks to hit it with a straight bat. But the ball goes off the outer edge, passes Sharma at short point who dives but fails to stop that. Once that happens a boundary it is. |
| 106.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 107.1 : R Ashwin to Rabada, This one is worked towards square leg. |
| 107.2 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Nice loop on that one and there is significant spin as well. Draws Rabada forward in defense and goes the other way to just tease the lower order bat. |
| 107.3 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Flatter ball angling in, worked away through square leg for a couple. |
| 107.4 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Blocked towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 107.5 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Kagiso lunges forwards bunts this delivery around off. |
| 107.6 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Once again Rabada comes forward to block but the ball spins away past the outside edge. |
| 108.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, The skipper is leading the battle for South Africa. Gets to his 17th Test fifty, his second in the series. A nice harmless ball to get there as he gets a length ball on the pads. Works it away through square leg for a couple. Good grafting knock from Faf du Plessis. |
| 108.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Once again du Plessis works this through backward square leg for two more. |
| 108.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Faf is early into his flick and ends up getting a soft leading edge down the track. |
| 108.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Tapped towards point for a single. |
| 108.5 : H Pandya to Rabada, On a length around off, Rabada stays in the crease and defends. |
| 108.6 : H Pandya to Rabada, Hardik comes round the wicket and bowls it fuller on off, defended with a stride forward. |
| 109.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Dropped? Looked so! Ashwin comes over the wicket and floats it just outside off. Du Plessis looks to keep it out but seems to have edged it to Patel. The keeper fumbles and eventually grasses it. Replays fail to spot an edge there and Parthiv can breathe easy. |
| 109.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Painful? Maybe. Du Plessis gets down and plays the sweep. It goes off short leg's shin pad towards backward square leg. |
| 109.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This time he dances down the track and keeps it out towards mid-wicket. |
| 109.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This time du Plessis sweeps this past Vijay at short leg for one. |
| 109.5 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 109.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FOUR! Poor ball, punished. Ashwin bowls a carrom ball outside off, it turns away a touch. But the length is short and that allows du Plessis ample time to go back and cut it through backward point for a boundary. |
| Ishant Sharma back for another spell. 20-3-41-1 are his current figures. |
| 110.1 : I Sharma to Rabada, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 110.2 : I Sharma to Rabada, Fuller on off, defended from the crease. |
| 110.3 : I Sharma to Rabada, OUT! Hardik Pandya makes amends to the earlier chance that he gave to Kagiso Rabada. A look at the way he has taken this one would make us feel that he has done more than well. Ishant Sharma bowls it short, Rabada goes for the pull irrespective of the fact that there is a man there. Pandya runs in and takes it with a dive forward. But he knows that Rabada shouldn't have stayed in the middle for as long as he did. Hence, he does not celebrate but only flings the ball aw |
| The next batter in for South Africa is Morne Morkel. |
| 110.4 : I Sharma to Morkel, Fuller ball outside off, Morkel lets it go. |
| 110.5 : I Sharma to Morkel, Length ball outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 110.6 : I Sharma to Morkel, Banged short on the stumps, ducked under by Morne. Wicket maiden from Ishant. |
| 111.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FOUR! Intentions crystal clear! Ashwin tosses up this carrom ball from round the wicket in line of the stumps. Faf du Plessis gets down the track and slogs this wide of the player at long on. Gets a boundary for doing so. |
| 111.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Ash comes back over the wicket and bowls it flatter outside off. Du Plessis blocks. |
| 111.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This is punched off the back foot towards mid off. |
| 111.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated outside off, driven to covers. |
| 111.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Ashwin switches sides and delivers it on the pads. FDP comes down and blocks. |
| 111.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This ball is turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 112.1 : I Sharma to Morkel, FOUR! This is the shot of the match, reckons Shaun Pollock on air. Yes, it is a nice one but not so much so that a tag such as this be attached to it. Sharma lands it on a length around middle and leg, Morkel hops up and flicks it through mid-wicket. Such is the timing on that the ball speeds away to the fence. |
| 112.2 : I Sharma to Morkel, Ahh! This is the tailender Morkel that we know. Sees width on offer on this length ball and looks to free his arms with a slash. Misses the ball by just. Immediately raises his hand in apology to his skipper at the other end. |
| 112.3 : I Sharma to Morkel, Sharma comes round the wicket and bowls it on a length angling in. Morne works it away to deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 112.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, OUT! Knocked him over! Brilliant sight for a fast bowler - the woodwork disturbed! Despair for Faf, delight for Ishant. Sharma runs in from over the wicket and angles it into du Plessis on a fuller length. On another day and any other situation, du Plessis would have defended this. But now, he looks to go with the drive on the up. Misses the ball as it sneaks in through the gap between bat and pad and disturbs the middle stump. Sharma shouts in delight as he picks up |
| Lungi Ngidi, the debutant, is the last man in for South Africa. How good is he with the bat? Entertainment time? |
| 112.5 : I Sharma to Ngidi, Beaten on the inside in the first ball that he faces. Length ball just around off, Ngidi looks to block but gets beaten. |
| 112.6 : I Sharma to Ngidi, This one is defended towards covers. |
| 113.1 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Floated outside off, Morkel misses the ball as he gets down to defend. |
| 113.2 : R Ashwin to Morkel, A touch shorter outside off Morkel pats it to cover-point and sets off for a run. Pandya gets there and hurls a throw at the striker's end but misses the direct hit. Patel also fails to collect it and whip the bails off. A run results. |
| Couple of men deep on the leg side. |
| 113.3 : R Ashwin to Ngidi, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 113.4 : R Ashwin to L Ngidi, First run for Ngidi in white-dress cricket. He works it through mid on for a single. |
| 113.5 : R Ashwin to Morkel, OUT! That's it! Ashwin has four to his name. It is a matter of when, when a left-hander lower order batsman is at the crease against the off spinner. Tossed up ball around off, Morkel gets down and looks to go big. All he does is, he manages to slice it high up in the air to deep covers where Vijay takes it easily. SOUTH AFRICA 335 ALL OUT! |
| We are hearing that India will have to survive one over before Lunch. The players in the South African dressing room also stood up and were confused about the way forward, before the confirmation came. |
| India have done exactly what they sought out to do this morning - bowl the opposition out quickly. Only du Plessis really was the last thorn and he was the second-last man gone. But before departing, he got to another half century and added a good 42 runs with Rabada at the other end. That stand was furthered due to the catches of the latter that India dropped on consecutive balls. |
| A glance at the Proteas' scorecard suggests a lot of starts left unconverted. As many as three batters got scores over 50 but failed to convert them into a triple figure one. They had 5 partnerships over 40, none went on to get a century. The visiting bowlers fared well, with Ashwin and Ishant doing well. They picked up 7 wickets between them to contain the opposition. |
| India will have to survive a tricky over before the break. Will be interesting to see if Vijay and Rahul go out unbeaten. Another thing eagerly watched will be how South Africa start with the new ball. Stay with us to find out what happens. |
| 0.1 : K Maharaj to Vijay, FOUR! Dream start for India. The openers would have walked out imagining to face a battery of quicks and they get the left arm spin of Keshav Maharaj. He doles up a full toss outside off, which is easy pickings for the batter. Vijay gets a stride out and drives it through covers to open his as well as his side's account with a boundary. |
| 0.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Floated up around off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 0.3 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Ouch! This one is outside off, hit straight to Elgar at silly point. |
| 0.4 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Another one! Vijay looks to drive but hits it straight at Elgar at the same position. |
| 0.5 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Three in three! Elgar is hit thrice in three balls by Vijay. Not the safest of positions to be in. Maharaj, Vijay and Elgar are only the three players on the ground at the moment, quips Sunil Gavaskar on air. |
| 0.6 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Flatter and straighter in line of the stumps, Vijay prods forward to defend but gets an inside edge. It flies just past Markram at short leg, who gets his hand up but doesn't find the ball there. South Africa just away from getting a perfect start. That's LUNCH, DAY 2! |
| India manage to see off the one over that they had to, before the break. Du Plessis came up with the surprise move of handing Maharaj the ball first up and he could have almost dived into celebration if that last delivery would have resulted in a wicket. A sterner Test awaits the visitors in the following session. |
| Earlier in the session, led by Ashwin's four-fer and Ishant's three-fer, the tourists bundled out the hosts for a decent total. By the looks of it, the score isn't a tall one. But if India's batting in the previous game is anything to go by, it suddenly becomes a tall one. But the conditions and the track is much different this time round and the Proteas would be mindful of the resistance that they might encounter. For now, we'll let you go to have a bite as we catch one. See you back on the oth |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 ... |
| Welcome back! Nice conditions for batting with the pitch quickened up a touch. How will India fare on it? Vijay and Rahul walk out once again. The latter will face the first ball in this session. Who will it be to begin with the ball? Morne Morkel. Three slips and a gully stand in anticipation. Here we go... |
| 1.1 : M Morkel to Rahul, Morkel runs in from over the wicket and delivers a length ball well outside off. Rahul shoulders arms in response. |
| 1.2 : M Morkel to Rahul, Length ball outside off, defended towards point. |
| 1.3 : M Morkel to Rahul, FOUR! Is the festive season still on? In the last over before lunch, Vijay was offered a freebie to get going and now Morkel gifts Rahul. A full length ball on the pads, Rahul just flicks it through backward square leg to open his account. |
| 1.4 : M Morkel to Rahul, Fuller around off and middle, pushed back towards the bowler. |
| 1.5 : M Morkel to Rahul, Similar bowl, Rahul gets an inside edge onto his pads as he looks to block it. |
| 1.6 : M Morkel to Rahul, This is well outside off, left alone. |
| Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end. He proved to be menacing for the visitors in the last game. |
| 2.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Starts off with a full ball angling in, Vijay just clips it away through mid-wicket and picks up two. |
| 2.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Length ball outside off, tapped towards covers. |
| 2.3 : V Philander to Vijay, This ball is defended from the crease with a straight bat. |
| AB de Villiers is standing with his helmet on at third slip. He is very close in that position. |
| 2.4 : V Philander to Vijay, Hesitation but no damage done. Vijay gets this off the inner half of his blade towards mid on. He wants a run but there is a slight hesitation from Rahul. Eventually the run is completed as Rabada was on his heels there. |
| 2.5 : V Philander to Rahul, Rahul has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 2.6 : V Philander to Rahul, Outside off, left alone. |
| 3.1 : M Morkel to Vijay, Good line. Morkel bowls this on a length just outside off, Vijay feels for this but misses. Very uncharacteristic from the Monk. |
| 3.2 : M Morkel to Vijay, Well outside off, left alone. Much better from the opener this time. |
| 3.3 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 3.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, Banged short in line of the stumps, Vijay ducks. |
| 3.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, No hesitation this time round. Vijay looks to play with a straight bat but gets it off the outer half towards covers. Seeing no one there, he sets off for a quick run and completes it as well. |
| 3.6 : M Morkel to Rahul, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 4.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Hurled on off, defended from the crease. |
| 4.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Length ball on the fuller side, a hint of shape away from Vijay. Nothing doing from the batter as he gets his stride out and lets it go. |
| 4.3 : V Philander to Vijay, This one is straighter in line, Vijay clips it through mid-wicket. Gets a couple for doing so. |
| 4.4 : V Philander to Vijay, This one is kept out to the on side. |
| Gully goes to short mid-wicket now. |
| 4.5 : V Philander to Vijay, Excellent save, Markram! The goalkeepers in the Premier League would be happy with that save, reckons Graeme Smith on air. Length ball outside off, Vijay drives it nicely on the up through covers. Aiden takes a couple of steps to his left and dives full stretch to prevent the ball from passing through. |
| 4.6 : V Philander to Vijay, This one is blocked from the crease. |
| 5.1 : M Morkel to Rahul, Bowled outside off, left alone. |
| 5.2 : M Morkel to Rahul, Too short, wasted, says Michael Holding. Morkel bangs this short on the stumps, Rahul crouches low to evade it. |
| 5.3 : M Morkel to Rahul, Another one outside off, Rahul doesn't bother playing that. |
| 5.4 : M Morkel to Rahul, Similar ball, shouldered arms to by Rahul. |
| 5.5 : M Morkel to Rahul, Another ball outside off, Rahul lets it be. |
| Michael Holding states that he didn't have to change his bowling action much when he wanted to do something different. He reckons that he made more use of the crease and delivering the ball by various angles. That helped him enough during his playing career. This was in response to a Graeme Smith's question to him about bowling on unresponsive surfaces. |
| 5.6 : M Morkel to Rahul, Again, outside off, left alone. |
| 6.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Fuller on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 6.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Vijay has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Michael Holding and his views about bowling are too good to miss. The hosts were able to pick up quick wickets in both the innings of the previous Test whereas here, they don't have any yet. The legend opines that in the first game, there was some movement on offer. Hence the bowlers could afford to bowl on wider lines. Here though, he says, since there is no movement, the bowlers have to be within and close to the line of the stumps. Fair point. |
| 6.3 : V Philander to Vijay, Outside off, left alone. |
| 6.4 : V Philander to Vijay, Markram missed out on his century by a mere six runs and hence he knows the value of each run. Shows in the way he is going about with his fielding. Vijay drives this one nicely through covers, Aiden hares after it, leaps and dives to save a run for his team. |
| 6.5 : V Philander to L Rahul, Length ball, Rahul looks to defend. Gets an outside edge that doesn't carry to third slip who is standing closer. |
| 6.6 : V Philander to L Rahul, Half-minded shot! On a length outside off, Rahul looks to shoulder arms. However, he is late in getting his bat up and hence the ball goes off the edge and rolls past gully for a couple. On another day, this edge could have gone to a slip fielder. |
| 7.1 : M Morkel to Vijay, Vijay is trying to get himself out here. Yet again goes fishing at a delivery which he has no business with. |
| 7.2 : M Morkel to Vijay, FOUR! That's in Vijay's area and he collects runs. Fuller and on middle and leg, Vijay clips it nicely through mid-wicket. Maharaj gives it a valiant chase, slides but takes the ball with him to the boundary. He is gutted there. Full marks for the effort though. |
| 7.3 : M Morkel to Vijay, Hurled outside off, Vijay lets it be. |
| 7.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, Outside off, left alone by MV. |
| 7.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, Flicked away off his pads through square leg for one. |
| 7.6 : M Morkel to Rahul, FOUR! Desired result but desired area? Not sure. Morkel bowls it short and outside off. Rahul sees enough width on that and looks to slash it over point. However, he ends up mistiming it over covers. The ball trickles away to the fence though. Careful, lad. Your side isn't ahead here. |
| 8.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Length ball around off, defended towards covers from the crease. |
| 8.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Outside off on a length, left alone. |
| 8.3 : V Philander to Vijay, Length ball in line of the stumps, MV goes back and stonewalls it. |
| 8.4 : V Philander to Vijay, Fuller this time, blocked back to where it came from. |
| 8.5 : V Philander to Vijay, Fuller outside off, Vijay gets ahead and defends it towards covers. |
| 8.6 : V Philander to Vijay, Lands around the good length area nipping back just a touch. Vijay gets his bat down hurriedly to defend it towards mid off. A maiden from Vernon. |
| 9.1 : M Morkel to Rahul, Beauty! Morkel lands it on a length just outside off, Rahul hangs his bat out at that. But the ball just passes the outside edge. Nice line that. |
| 9.2 : M Morkel to Rahul, Landed around off, defended towards covers. |
| 9.3 : Morkel to Rahul, OUT! The tall Morkel draws first blood. Is Shikhar Dhawan the right opener for India in South Africa? Is Rahul the better one in these conditions? Let these talks carry on as the latter has a failure against his name in his first outing in the Rainbow Nation. Morkel runs in from over the wicket and lands it on a good length around off. Rahul looks to drive it on the up by being rooted to the crease. Ends up chipping it back to Morne who gets down to his left and pouches it. |
| Cheteshwar Pujara, the new wall for India, walks out to bat at no.3. There's no question about his abilities, can he get a big score against his name here? |
| One brings two, they say. Does it hold true here? Pujara is the man in question as there is a run out appeal that is referred upstairs. |
| 9.4 : M Morkel to Pujara, OUT! Disastrous calling and even worse consequence. What was Pujara thinking there? Did he feel Usain Bolt's soul is in him? He taps this length ball towards mid on and sets off for a run immediately. Vijay sees the fielder there and hesitates a bit before carrying on as his partner was running. The man there swoops on the ball and hits the bull's eye at the bowler's end. Who's the man? It's the newcomer Lungi Ngidi. Take a bow young man. That should settle his nerves an |
| Hold on to your hats! The Indian captain Virat Kohli walks out to the center. |
| 9.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, This is outside out, left alone. |
| 9.6 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another ball outside off, left alone. Good over from Morne, a double-wicket maiden. |
| Kagiso Rabada introduced into the attack now. |
| 10.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Virat shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 10.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Full outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 10.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, What's happening here? Another tight run. Is it needed? Kohli taps it towards covers and sets off for another quick run. Vijay has to put in a desperate dive to beat the wild throw. Would have been in anyway. |
| 10.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 10.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, Suddenly the Proteas are pumped up here. Length ball just outside off, Vijay feels for it. De Kock throws the ball up immediately after collecting it for an appeal. Nobody else seems to have heard anything there. |
| 10.6 : K Rabada to Vijay, Some chin music for the batsman, he lets that bouncer through to the wicket-keeper. |
| 11.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR! THAT Virat Kohli cover drive. Just a push this time with pristine timing there. Length ball outside off, Kohli plays this through covers. No stopping that. |
| 11.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR! And this is delightful. The previous one was on the off side, this one is on the on side, in fact straighter. Overpitched in line of the stumps, pushed down the ground for another boundary, consecutive ones. He moves to 9 from 5 balls. |
| 11.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Nudged down to fine leg to rotate strike. |
| 11.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, This is outside off, shouldered arms to. |
| 11.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, Fuller on off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 11.6 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 12.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Kohli defends this off the front foot. |
| 12.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, FOUR! Kohli has come out all guns blazing here. Perhaps he is looking to take a leaf out of his mate de Villiers' books. He is looking to take the attack to the opposition here. Gets a ball on a length outside off, Virat stays back and just opens the face of the bat. The ball goes through the gully region. Maharaj is in action yet again as he chases the ball but it just beats him to the fence. The Indian skipper moves to 14 off 8. |
| 12.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, Straighter in line this time, clipped through square leg for two more. Morkel does well in the deep. |
| 12.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, This one is played defensively towards gully. |
| 12.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 12.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, Length ball angling in, nudged to the man at deep square leg for one. |
| Lungi Ngidi to have a bowl now. Would be interesting to have a first look at the debutant with the red ball. |
| 13.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, First ball in Tests from Ngidi is a dot ball. It is on a length outside off, defended towards point. |
| 13.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Bouncer in line of the stumps, Kohli ducks. |
| 13.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This one is flicked away round the corner for nothing. |
| 13.4 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This ball is flicked to square leg. |
| 13.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Outside off, pushed towards covers. |
| 13.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This took off from a length. Catches Kohli by surprise who does well to defend it with soft hands. |
| Drinks are on the field now. South Africa seem to be like lions in a jungle, prowling around in search of a wicket and jumping at every opportunity presented so far. India seemed to be going well before Rahul and Pujara were sent back to the dressing room in immediate succession. In both those dismissals, the Protea fielding that always had the world in awe, was in display. Kohli is looking fluent so far and has the ever-calm Vijay for company. Their first step would be to see off the session. W |
| 14.1 : K Rabada to Vijay, Just ahead of a length around off, Vijay stays rooted to his crease as he defends it. |
| 14.2 : K Rabada to Vijay, Wider outside off and on a length. Vijay stands tall and pushes it to gully. |
| 14.3 : K Rabada to Vijay, Goes wide of the crease and angles it into the batsman. Vijay defends it solidly. |
| 14.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, Good length outside off, this time Vijay makes a good leave. |
| 14.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, Another delivery on a length outside off, Vijay keeps his eyes on the ball and lets it through. |
| 14.6 : K Rabada to Vijay, FOUR! Keep the good balls out and put the bad balls away! That is what Vijay is doing. He gets a half-volley outside off, leans into it and times it through covers for a boundary. |
| 15.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Back of a length on middle, Ngidi gets some extra bounce due to his height. Kohli tries to defend but is hit on the glove. |
| 15.2 : L Ngidi to V Kohli, CLOSE! Fuller in length on off, shapes in very late. Kohli tries to flick but it goes off the inner half through square leg for a couple. That was close as if Kohli would have missed that one he would have been a candidate for LBW. |
| 15.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Nicely played this time! Ngidi bowls it shorter in length on middle, Virat jumps and flicks it through mid-wicket. He calls for three straightaway and gets it. |
| 15.4 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Fuller in length outside off, Vijay makes another leave. |
| 15.5 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Angles it into the batsman. Vijay flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 15.6 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Back of a length on off, the Monk defends it towards cover-point, he wanted a run but is sent back by his captain. |
| 16.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, The ball is too wide on the off side for the batsman to make any contact. |
| 16.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Good length on off, Kohli is solid in defense. |
| 16.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, BEAUTY! Fuller this time by Rabada, gets it to swing away from off. Kohli draw into the shot as he tries to drive but gets beaten. Rabada also gives a mouthful to Kohli. |
| 16.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Bouncer! Kohli ducks under it. |
| 16.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, FOUR! Rabada gets too straight in an attempt to rap Kohli on the pads. Virat does not miss though as he flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. Morne Morkel does give it a chase but is not able to stop it from crossing the ropes. |
| 16.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 17.1 : L Ngidi to M Vijay, Good fielding by Elgar! Fuller in length on off, Vijay drives it towards covers where Elgar dives to his left and makes a good stop. |
| 17.2 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Vijay just showed why he is amongst the best leavers in the world! Ngidi goes wide of the crease and angles it into the batsman from outside off. Vijay plants his front foot forward and makes a confident leave. Not many batsman would have left that one, even Kohli from the non striker's end asks him to be careful as the ball is seaming in. |
| 17.3 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Another ball outside off, another leave. |
| 17.4 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Wide enough for the batsman to not play at it. |
| 17.5 : L Ngidi to Vijay, JUST SHORT! Even if de Villiers would have taken it, it would have been sensational! Ngidi persists with the line outside off, testing Vijay's patience. This time the Monk goes after it as he guides it uppishly but just short of gully where de Villiers dives to his right and makes a fine stop in the end. |
| 17.6 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Closer to the off pole this time, Vijay defends it solidly. |
| 18.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Back of a length on off, Kohli defends it towards mid on. |
| 18.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Just ahead of a length on off, Virat lunges forward and defends it. |
| 18.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, Good length outside off, Kohli, even when he leaves the ball, looks pretty confident. |
| 18.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Wider outside off, yes, Virat is known to be vulnerable to the balls outside off but this is too wide. He need not play at it. |
| 18.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, Shorter in length on middle, Kohli walks in and tucks it around the corner for a run. |
| 18.6 : K Rabada to Vijay, Wide outside off, Vijay would not mind planting his front foot ahead and leaving those deliveries the whole day. |
| 19.1 : Ngidi to Kohli, An ambitious appeal! Ngidi lands it on a length on middle, Kohli tries to flick but misses the ball and it hits him high on the pads. |
| 19.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Straighter in line this time. Kohli flicks it through square leg to change strike. |
| Maharaj is seen rolling his arm. Time for some spin? Maybe. |
| 19.3 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Fuller in length on off, Vijay drives it to mid off. |
| 19.4 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Shorter in length this time and also offers width. Vijay cuts it through point and bags a run. |
| 19.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball on off, shapes back in a touch. Kohli tries to defend but it goes off the inner half towards square leg for an easy run. |
| 19.6 : L Ngidi to Vijay, Late swing! Ngidi comes running in and bowls it on a length around off, it shapes in late but as the length is on the shorter side, Vijay can adjust and defend it back towards the bowler. |
| 20.1 : K Rabada to V Kohli, FOUR! Kohli has come out with good intent and has also looked good. His feet are moving towards the ball and he is also ready to play his shots. Rabada dishes out a full ball outside off, Kohli leans into it and times it through covers for a boundary. |
| 20.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Length outside off, Kohli need not play at it. |
| 20.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, On the off pole, Kohli defends it to covers. |
| 20.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, A bouncer but outside off, Kohli evades it. |
| 20.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, This is good cricket all around! Kagiso bowls it on a probing line and length. Kohli defends it to covers. |
| 20.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, A good delivery to end the over. Kagiso bowls it with pace on off, Kohli defends it off the back foot. His bat face is coming down straight today as he is not looking to guide it down to third man. A mistake he made in the first innings of the first Test. |
| Vernon Philander is back on. Maybe Maharaj was just feeling a little stiff and hence he was rolling his arm over. |
| 21.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Good length outside off, Vijay lets it be. |
| 21.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Another one outside off, trying to price Vijay out the way he did in the first Test but the Monk this time knows where his off stump is and makes a leave. |
| 21.3 : V Philander to Vijay, Another good leave! Vijay was playing such deliveries in the first Test and now he is intent on leaving them. Philander bowls this on the fifth stump line. The batsman shuffles across and leaves it. |
| 21.4 : V Philander to Vijay, A lot of ohhs and ahhs but nothing as such in the delivery. A full ball on middle, Vijay flicks it to mid on. |
| 21.5 : V Philander to Vijay, Back of a length on off, Vijay pushes it through point for a run. |
| 21.6 : V Philander to Kohli, On a length on middle, Kohli flicks it through square leg for a brace. He mover onto 33. |
| Morne Morkel is back into the attack. |
| 22.1 : M Morkel to Vijay, Morkel was a little bit wide in his first spell and he starts off with a wide one here. Vijay is not interested in playing at it. |
| 22.2 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another wide delivery. Vijay thinks about cutting it but then pulls out. |
| 22.3 : M Morkel to Vijay, Back of a length on off, Vijay defends it off the back foot. |
| 22.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another ball on a length but this time on the stumps. Vijay defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 22.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, Wide outside off, bowls the sucker ball. The Monk slashes at it and it goes down towards deep point for a run. |
| 22.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, Good length outside off, Kohli leaves. |
| 23.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Fuller in length on off, Vijay tries to drive but gets it off the inner half towards mid-wicket for no runs. |
| 23.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay defends it stoutly. |
| 23.3 : V Philander to M Vijay, FOUR! Short outside off, width on offer. Vijay this time waits and cuts it late, behind point. The boundary is shorter on that side and even though there is a fielder in the deep he has no chance. |
| 23.4 : V Philander to Vijay, A confident drive but straight to the man at covers. |
| 23.5 : V Philander to Vijay, HUGE APPEAL! The umpire shakes his head though. Philander loves it but stragely he does not go for the review. He bowls it on a length around middle, Vijay misses the flick to get hit high on the pads. |
| 23.6 : V Philander to Vijay, On the middle, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| Finally! Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. He had been warming up for a quite a while and he now comes back. |
| 24.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Floats it on off, Kohli drives it down to long off for a run. |
| 24.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. |
| 24.3 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Very full on the pads, Vijay works it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 24.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Gives it air on off, Kohli plants his front foot and drives it down to long on to change strike. The stand is now 3 short of fifty. |
| 24.5 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Drives the tossed up delivery back to the bowler. |
| 24.6 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Gives it air on off, Vijay drives to towards covers where the fielder misfields and concedes a run. |
| The keeper has now decided to walk up to the stumps. |
| 25.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Length on off, Vijay defends it off the back foot. |
| 25.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Good length around off, Vijay tries to defend but once again the ball goes off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 25.3 : V Philander to Vijay, Fuller on off, whips it to mid-wicket. |
| 25.4 : V Philander to Vijay, Good length on off, it shapes in ever so slightly. The batsman defends it solidly. |
| 25.5 : V Philander to Vijay, Nicely bowled! This one swung away from the batsman from off. Vijay makes a good leave which he has been doing throughout his innings. |
| 25.6 : V Philander to Vijay, On off, Vijay uses his wrists and works it to mid-wicket. |
| 26.1 : K Maharaj to V Kohli, Tosses it up on leg stump, Kohli flicks it to mid on. |
| 26.2 : K Maharaj to Kohli, How many runs has Markram saved in that region? Kohli drives the ball on off towards covers where Markram dives to his left and makes a good half-stop. No runs taken. |
| 26.3 : K Maharaj to Kohli, FOUR! Bad ball and dispatched! Short and wide outside off, Kohli has all the time in the world to rock back and cut it through point for a boundary. 50-run stand between the two, a very, very important stand but they need to make it big, something the South Africans could not do. |
| 26.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.5 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Floats it on off, defended by Kohli. |
| 26.6 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Gives it a flight on off, Kohli lunges forward and blocks it. |
| 27.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay defends it stoutly. |
| 27.2 : V Philander to Vijay, Another ball in the testing line around off, Vijay defends it solidly. |
| 27.3 : V Philander to Vijay, On the stumps, worked to mid-wicket. This is what he has to do, play out the remainder of deliveries left in the over as it probably is the last over before tea. |
| 27.4 : V Philander to Vijay, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 27.5 : V Philander to Vijay, Another excellent leave! Philander bowls this one close to off, Vijay covers his stump and leaves it. |
| 27.6 : V Philander to Vijay, Another leave to a ball outside off. A maiden over and the players head back to the dressing room FOR TEA ON DAY 2! |
| Another action-packed session! Wickets, runs and both the teams will be happy heading into the break. India started this session being 331 runs behind. Rahul and Vijay looked reasonably comfortable out there before the former fell prey to Morkel. The visitors were dealt with another blow when the ever-reliable Pujara was run out on the next ball. India seemed to be in all sorts of trouble at 28 for 2 but this unbeaten 52-run stand between Kohli and Vijay has brought India back into the game. |
| The South African bowlers have not got a great deal of purchase out of the wicket. They have not caused a lot of for the current pair as yet. Keshav Maharaj might do the bulk of the bowling after the break as the hosts would expect him to make the most of the surface. India still trail by 255 runs and they would like this partnership to do the bulk of the scoring. The home side will want to chip away at the wickets after the break. Join us for the final session in a while. |
| ... Day 2, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session where 36 overs have to be bowled. Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay will hope to continue from where they left off. Keshav Maharaj will bowl the first over after the break. He has a slip in place. Here we go... |
| 28.1 : K Maharaj to V Kohli, First run after the break! Maharaj bowls it on leg stump, Kohli flicks it towards wide mid on for a run. |
| 28.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Tosses it up on off, Vijay eases it to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 28.3 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Flatter on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 28.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Uses his feet and flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 28.5 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Very full on middle, driven back to the bowler. |
| 28.6 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Drags his length back on off, Kohli pushes it to covers off the back foot. |
| Morne Mokel will bowl from the other end. |
| 29.1 : M Morkel to Vijay, FOUR! Right in the gap! A full ball, at 140 kph on middle, Vijay nonchalantly flicks it through the gap between mid on and short mid-wicket for a boundary. That was so nicely timed, not a soul moved there. |
| 29.2 : M Morkel to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay taps it towards point for a run. |
| 29.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Kohli has come out in his ODI mode! He shimmies down the track a little and guides the ball outside off, towards point for a run. |
| 29.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, Angles it on middle, the Monk flicks it to mid on. |
| 29.5 : M Morkel to Vijay, Very full outside off, driven through cover-point for a run. |
| 29.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR! beautiful! This is arguably one of the hardest shots in the game to play and Virat does it with ease. A full ball on middle, Kohli plays the on drive past the diving mid on fielder for a boundary. 11 runs from the over. |
| 30.1 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Works it with the angle, past the diving mid-wicket fielder for a brace. |
| 30.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Shorter outside off, Vijay waits for it and guides it to point. |
| 30.3 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Another delivery which is on the shorter side, turns away this time though. Vijay plays a half-hearted cut shot to point. |
| 30.4 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Third short ball in a row and Vijay does not put it away! There was width on offer too, Vijay cuts it to point. |
| 30.5 : K Maharaj to Vijay, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 30.6 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Tosses it up on middle, worked to mid on. |
| 31.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Another full ball driven back to the bowler. |
| 31.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Delightful shot there! Morkel is guilty of bowling too full here. He pays the price as he is cover driven for a couple. |
| 31.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Shorter in length outside off, Kohli lets it be. |
| 31.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Kohli takes a step or two down the track and defends the length ball on off. Seems to be high on confidence today. |
| 31.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 31.6 : M Morkel to V Kohli, Short and wide outside off, Kohli cuts it off the toe end towards deep point for a run. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Gives it air on off, driven down to long off for a run. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Tosses it up on off, Vijay defends it off the front foot. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Almost an edge! Maharaj bowls it shorter outside off, gets it to turn away. Vijay tries to cut leaning backwards. He is beaten by the extra bounce on the delivery. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Flatter outside off, Vijay opts not to fiddle with it. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Floats it full outside off, Vijay drives it through covers for a run. 100 up for the Indians. They now trail by 235 runs. |
| 33.1 : M Morkel to Vijay, Comes around the wicket and bangs it short but down the leg side. Vijay does not bother playing at it. |
| 33.2 : M Morkel to Vijay, Another short ball on leg stump. Vijay ducks under it. |
| 33.3 : M Morkel to Vijay, A bumper aimed at the rib cage of the batsman. He tucks it to leg gully. |
| Morkel is asking for a short leg and he gets it. Markram goes under the lid. More short stuff coming up! |
| 33.4 : M Morkel to Vijay, Short ball, looking at the field, Vijay may have expected it as he was in position early. He pulls it to deep square leg for a run. 4 short balls now, a surprise yorker to Kohli here? |
| 33.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, NO! He persists with the short one and Kohli ducks under it. Make that 5 short balls in a row. |
| 33.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, Not short this time, he lands it on a length. Kohli, against the angle, flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Cut towards point for no runs. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, FOUR! Plays the sweep to perfection! These two are playing Maharaj really well. He tosses it up on leg stump, Vijay goes down on one knee and hits it to the square leg fence. The Monk moves on to 46. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to M Vijay, Floated on off, driven to mid off. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Very full on middle, eased to mid on. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Vijay, The arm ball and also quicker on off, Vijay pushes it to covers. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Gives it air on off, Vijay lunges forward and defends it. |
| 35.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Fifty for Kohli! What a time to score it, India were in trouble when he came in and he has led from the front. His 16th in Test, he would want to make it big though. He pulls the short ball on middle, towards deep mid-wicket for a couple to bring up the milestone. He raises his bat to acknowledge the applause from the dressing room. |
| 35.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, BOUNCER! The batsman ducks under it. |
| 35.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Morkel is getting too predictable here. He bangs in another one and Kohli evades it. |
| 35.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Another short ball on middle, Kohli need not play at it. |
| 35.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Fifth bouncer in this over! Kohli lets it go over his head. |
| 35.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, Shorter in length on leg stump, Kohli tucks it to leg gully. |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Flatter on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Tosses it up on off, Vijay defends it off the front foot. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to Vijay, Shorter outside off, Vijay guides it to point. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Vijay, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Maharaj has provided the vital breakthrough and he is pumped up! Vijay has been beaten on this shot atleast 3 to 4 times and this time he edges it. Maharaj bowls it shorter outside off, Vijay once again goes to cut but only edges it to de Kock who takes it and appeals. The umpire raises his finger and Vijay is walking back. The 79-run stand has been broken and Vijay misses out on a half ton by just four runs. Virat Kohli is gutted with what he has |
| Rohit Sharma walks out to the middle. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on. |
| 37.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, BEATEN! South Africa have their tails up here. Rabada comes running in and lands it on a length around off, it bounces a touch more, also straightens. Kohli pokes at it and gets beaten. |
| 37.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Good length outside off, Kohli lets it be. |
| 37.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 37.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Another ball outside off, Kohli is not interested in playing at it. |
| 37.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, Angles it on the pads, Kohli flicks it through square leg for a run. |
| 37.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, Wide enough for the batsman to not play at it. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Drives the full ball through covers for a run. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Tosses it up on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floats it up on off, Sharma defends it solidly. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, FOUR! That is how you play the cut shot, Vijay! Short and wide outside off, Sharma waits for it and then guides it past backward point for a boundary to get off the mark. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Bowls it outside off, the batsman need not play at it. |
| 39.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Good length outside off, Kohli lets it be. |
| 39.2 : K Rabada to V Kohli, Sloppy from Morkel! Rabada bangs it short, Kohli pulls it towards wide mid on. The big man does well to get down but unfortunately dives over the ball and concedes a run. |
| 39.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Full outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 39.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Wide enough for the batsman to play at it. |
| 39.5 : K Rabada to Sharma, Another ball outside off. He has bowled three outswingers outside off, will this be an in dipper? |
| 39.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, Fuller ball on off, Rohit defends it to covers. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to V Kohli, Tosses it up on off, a little too full. Kohli drives it through extra cover for a run. He wanted to push for a second but looking at the history between these two, he opts against it. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floated on off, defended. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Flighted ball on off, Rohit prods forward and defends it. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Flatter outside off, wanting Sharma to cut, he resists and lets it be. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 41.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, A full ball outside off, driven to covers. |
| 41.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Length ball on off, defended towards covers. |
| 41.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, A bouncer which kept coming in. Kohli at the very last moment ducks under it. |
| 41.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Another huge appeal! Rabada bowls it outside off and gets it to swing back into the batsman. Kohli is done in by that as he tries to defend. He misses and the ball hits him on the pads. The players appeal and the umpire shakes his head as the impact and height was an issue. Replays later on agree and shows the ball to be bouncing over. In the meantime the ball rolls towards third man and the batsman take two. |
| 41.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 41.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 42.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Tosses it up on off, Kohli defends it off the front foot. |
| 42.2 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Full ball on off, pushed to covers. |
| 42.3 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 42.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, DEFT! Flatter outside off, Kohli plays it very late, down towards third man. Amla gives it a chase and saves a run for his side. |
| 42.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 42.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floated on off, the batsman lunges forward and blocks it. |
| 43.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Fuller in length on off, driven to mid off. |
| 43.2 : K Rabada to R Sharma, Direct hit needed... Maharaj misses! Had he hit though it would have been an unbelievable run out. A full ball on off, Kohli drives it through covers. The batsmen complete one and set off for the second. Maharaj in the deep picks the ball up and has a shy from the deep at the non-striker's end but misses. Sharma will surely breathe a sigh of a relief there as if that would have hit, Sharma was struggling. |
| 43.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, Back of a length on middle, Kohli defends it off the back foot. |
| 43.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Works it with the angle, around the corner for a run. |
| 43.5 : K Rabada to Sharma, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 43.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, Wide outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 44.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Works it against the spin towards Morkel at short fine leg. |
| 44.2 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Tosses it up on off, Kohli drives it through exta cover for a run. |
| 44.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 44.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Shorter in length outside off, Sharma chops it to point. |
| 44.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floats it up on off, Sharma defends it off the front foot. |
| 44.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, FOUR! Enough, says Sharma. He dances down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and flicks it up and over mid on for a boundary. |
| 45.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Lands it on a length around off, Kohli defends it solidly. |
| 45.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Fuller in length on off, Kohli drives it uppishly but in the gap to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 45.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Good length closer to the off pole, Sharma leaves it watchfully. |
| 45.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Short ball on middle, Sharma gets into an awkward position as he tries to pull, he somehow connects and hits it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| Rohit is a goner! He has been adjudged LBW but he opts to review. Only an inside edge can save him there. |
| 45.5 : Rabada to Sharma, OUT! Sharma falls into the trap! Rabada kept bowling outswingers to him and this time he gets it to shape back in sharply from outside off. Sharma is completely undone as he tries to drive it through the off side. He misses and the ball and it hits him on the back pad. The players appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Sharma walks up to Kohli and after a chat he decides to review. Time for the replays. There is no inside edge on that one but can height save him as the |
| Drinks! |
| Parthiv Patel walks out to the middle. This is his first innings outside India since 2008. |
| 45.6 : K Rabada to Patel, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 46.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, On middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 46.2 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Eases it down to long on for a run. |
| 46.3 : K Maharaj to P Patel, Tosses it outside off, aiming for the rough. Parthiv drives it to covers. |
| 46.4 : K Maharaj to Patel, A full toss on off, Patel drives it down to long on for a run. |
| 46.5 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Gives it air on off, Kohli defends it solidly. |
| 46.6 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Taps it towards cover-point for a quick run. |
| 47.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Banged short on off, Kohli ducks. |
| 47.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Kohli gets to the other end by driving it through covers. The trail comes down to 199. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to Patel, Rabada runs in from round the wicket and lands it outside off, Patel lets it be. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Patel, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to Patel, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 47.6 : Rabada to Patel, A nice yorker on off, digged out towards mid-wicket. |
| 48.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Floated in line of the stumps, eased down to long on for one. SA are happy to let Kohli go to the other end. |
| 48.2 : K Maharaj to Patel, Tossed up outside off, Patel drives it to covers. |
| 48.3 : K Maharaj to Patel, Careful Parthiv! Flatter on off, he goes back to cut but is hurried on the shot. |
| 48.4 : K Maharaj to Patel, Now he rotates strike by playing this through mid on. |
| 48.5 : K Maharaj to V Kohli, Outside off, cut away square on the off side for one. |
| 48.6 : K Maharaj to Patel, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Time for Lungi Ngidi to roll his arm over. His figures after the first spell read 4-2-6-0. Two slips in place. |
| Big moment in the game! The Proteas appeal desperately for LBW against Kohli which is turned down. On getting the denial, they opt to go upstairs. |
| 49.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Excellent decision from umpire Paul Reiffel as the decision stays NOT OUT! Ngidi spears this full around off, Kohli walks ahead and across and looks to work it away. Seems to have gone off the pads on first look. The South Africans keep on appealing as the ball rolls through square leg and the batters take three. The umpire doesn't signal a leg bye, meaning these are runs for the batter. The hosts are happy with what they have seen and du Plessis signals a 'T'. Snicko is |
| 49.2 : L Ngidi to Patel, Length ball down the leg side, Patel misses the flick. |
| 49.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, Similar ball, worked away through square leg for a couple. Kohli wanted a third but decides against it eventually. |
| 49.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, PP works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 49.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Lovely delivery! This Rabada v Kohli battle is turning out to be an interesting watch here. The bowler hurls this on a length just outside off. Kohli can't resist from playing at it and he does so. Just misses edging that. |
| 49.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball on the pads, worked away to fine leg for one. |
| 50.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Full on middle, knocked down to long on for one. |
| 50.2 : K Maharaj to Patel, Tossed up outside off, Parthiv whips this across the line. Picks up two as the ball rolls through mid-wicket. |
| 50.3 : K Maharaj to Patel, Served just outside off, Patel is late in getting his bat down in defense. |
| 50.4 : K Maharaj to Patel, Floated full around off, pushed back towards the bowler. PP comes down in search of a run thinking Keshav has let that through. Has to go back in the safety of his crease. |
| 50.5 : K Maharaj to Patel, This one is turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 50.6 : K Maharaj to Patel, Defended off the back foot by Patel. |
| Kohli is seen popping some pills there. Not sure what. Maybe some salt tablets to keep himself hydrated. |
| 51.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball outside off, Kohli guides it through point for one. Brings up the 150 for India, 77 of them belong to Virat. The trail is down to 185. |
| 51.2 : L Ngidi to Patel, Length ball on the pads, flicked away to mid-wicket. |
| 51.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, What's up Parthiv? Seem to be in a hurry to get out? Length ball well wide of off, he goes for a wild slash unnecessarily. No need of this at all. |
| 51.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, Brutal stuff! Ngidi bangs this short in line of the stumps, Parthiv isn't out there to block or stay quiet. Goes for the pull but the ball climbs on him. Misses the ball completely. Stay calm, mate. |
| 51.5 : L Ngidi to Patel, On a length around off, defended from the crease. |
| 51.6 : L Ngidi to Patel, Beauty to end the over. Bowled on a length around middle, it moves away after pitching. Patel is squared up and misses this one. |
| 52.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Maharaj comes over the wicket and tosses it up around leg. The ball takes a puff of dust as it spins in a touch. Kohli flicks it through square leg for one. |
| 52.2 : K Maharaj to Patel, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 52.3 : K Maharaj to P Patel, FOUR! Streaky yet effective! Tossed up ball well outside off, it spins in a touch. Patel comes down the track and looks to go over covers. Ends up getting a thick outside edge and the ball speeds away to the third man fence. |
| 52.4 : K Maharaj to Patel, Around off, defended off the front foot. |
| 52.5 : K Maharaj to Patel, This ball is flicked away to mid-wicket. |
| 52.6 : K Maharaj to Patel, FOUR! Much better and well in control is Parthiv on this occasion. Comes down the track and hits it with the turn over mid-wicket for a boundary. 9 runs off this one. |
| 53.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Fuller and angling in, Kohli whips it away with the angle for one. |
| 53.2 : L Ngidi to Patel, FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for the Indian wicketkeeper. Patel hit one on the last ball of the previous over and hits one off the first he faces in this one. Ngidi bowls this outside off from over the wicket Parthiv frees his arms. Goes through the covers and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 53.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, Well outside off from round the wicket, left alone by PP. |
| 53.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, OUT! First Test wicket for Lungi Ngidi and he gets it off his 40th ball. What a time to strike for him! He continues round the wicket and bowls it on a length around off. Patel has to play at that due to the line and the angle. Does so and just gets a thick outside edge straight to de Kock who doesn't miss this. The joy on the Proteas' faces is there for all to see. Perhaps Patel could have left it based on the length but these aren't easy ones to let go. Half the Indian |
| The next batter in is Hardik Pandya. Wise decision? Should a night watchman have been sent in? Let's see. |
| 53.5 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Length ball outside off, left alone. |
| 53.6 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Look at the low bounce there. Pandya was upright and had to crouch low to play that. Ends up getting a bottom edge past the diving keeper to open his account. End of a successful over from the debutant. |
| Morne Morkel to have a bowl. With a new man in, du Plessis seems to be going for the kill. |
| 54.1 : M Morkel to Pandya, Well outside off, Pandya lets it be. |
| 54.2 : M Morkel to Pandya, Another full ball outside off, left alone. |
| 54.3 : M Morkel to Pandya, Another one outside off, Hardik just lets it be. |
| A fly slip in place. This is keeping in mind the ramp shot that he plays. |
| 54.4 : M Morkel to Pandya, FOUR! Authoritative, bossy, powerful... Use all the adjectives that you can on similar lines, that'll still not suffice. There was a longish chat between Pandya and Kohli perhaps warning the former about the delivery that could follow after the previous ball. Pandya is alert to the occasion of getting a short ball even with three slips and a fly slip in place. Gets a short ball and he pulls it with disdain over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 54.5 : M Morkel to Pandya, Wide outside off stump, the batsman leaves it alone. |
| 54.6 : M Morkel to Pandya, Full on off, defended from the crease. |
| 55.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Virat taps it towards covers and gets to the other end. |
| 55.2 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Outside off, left alone. |
| 55.3 : L Ngidi to Pandya, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 55.4 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 55.5 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Fuller in line of the stumps, driven towards mid on. Markram dives to his left and prevents a run. |
| 55.6 : L Ngidi to Pandya, This ball is blocked off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 56.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Wide outside off stump, VK leaves it alone. |
| 56.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 56.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Beaten. Length ball outside off, just a bit of shape away. Kohli feels for it and gets beaten. |
| 56.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Fuller and wider outside off, Kohli says, nothing doing. |
| 56.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Kohli shoulders arms to this ball well outside off. |
| 56.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, That's it for now from Kohli-and-the-saga-of-leaving-balls as this one is left alone. A maiden from Morkel. |
| 57.1 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Fuller and angling in from outside off, Pandya gets across and pushes it defensively towards mid on. |
| 57.2 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Short in length and wide outside off, Pandya gets across and looks to ramp it but then decides against it. |
| 57.3 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Again this one is wide outside off, HP leaves it alone. |
| 57.4 : L Ngidi to Pandya, No, no, no! Needn't play at those, Pandya! Length ball outside off, Pandya walks across and looks to pull it away. Ends up getting a bottom edge that goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| 57.5 : L Ngidi to H Pandya, FOUR! Better. Perhaps Pandya can't bear a quiet phase in the game. This boundary should settle him down for sometime. Gets a full delivery around off and middle, driven down the ground. The timing is very good and the ball goes away to the fence. |
| 57.6 : L Ngidi to H Pandya, WIDE! Short and well over the batter's head. Pandya lets it be. The umpire's signal comes in. |
| L Ngidi to Pandya, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 58.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Length ball outside off, Kohli lets it go to the keeper. Immediately signals something looking at the sightscreen. |
| 58.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, On a length around off and middle, tapped towards mid on for one. |
| 58.3 : M Morkel to Pandya, Morne goes round the wicket and bangs it short. Pandya ducks. |
| 58.4 : M Morkel to Pandya, Another bumper, this time in line of the stumps. Hardik crouches low to let it pass. |
| 58.5 : M Morkel to Pandya, Double bluff! Almost works! Morkel dishes this full on the pads, Pandya's weight is on the back foot as he flicks it. The ball goes just on the bounce to the man in front of square. |
| 58.6 : M Morkel to Pandya, Pandya keeps this one out off the back foot. |
| Vernon Philander to have a bowl now. Looking at the time in hand, he might have a maximum of two overs to bowl. Quinton de Kock stands up to the stumps. Meanwhile, Morkel's back leg was close to the side line in the last ball of the previous over, when he bowled from round the wicket. |
| 59.1 : V Philander to Kohli, Fuller outside off, eased through covers to rotate strike. |
| 59.2 : V Philander to Pandya, Fuller outside off, Pandya gets a stride forward and lets it go. Kohli is constantly chattering something to his partner, perhaps egging him to not throw his wicket away. |
| 59.3 : V Philander to Pandya, Strike rotated by flicking this through mid-wicket. |
| 59.4 : V Philander to Kohli, Bowled in line of the stumps, Virat stands tall and blocks it back towards the bowler. Lots of talk between the two batsmen. |
| 59.5 : V Philander to V Kohli, FOUR! Edged but runs! Philander lands it on a length outside off, Kohli gets across and defends it with a straight bat. But the ball grabs the outside edge and goes through where a widish second slip would have stood. Goes away to the fence. |
| Now there comes a second slip. |
| 59.6 : V Philander to Kohli, This is outside off, VK doesn't put bat to that. That should be it from Vern for the day. |
| This should be the last over of the day. Morkel will bowl it. Also, Mike Haysman on air informs us that Kohli had a word between overs with the umpire Michael Gough. Perhaps it had something to do with the light as it has gone pretty dim there. |
| 60.1 : M Morkel to Pandya, Pandya keeps this out with a straight bat. |
| 60.2 : M Morkel to Pandya, Length ball outside off, Pandya walks across and taps it towards covers. Wants a run but sees that Elgar has put in the dive to stop that. Aborts the idea. |
| 60.3 : M Morkel to Pandya, This is outside off, left alone. |
| Interesting. Kohli is seen telling Pandya to not play across the line. His tone seems to be a stern one. Hardik retorts saying that the ball has been darkened a bit. |
| 60.4 : M Morkel to Pandya, Flicked off his pads through square leg for one. |
| 60.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Outside off, moving in a touch. Kohli has his sticks covered as he lets it go. |
| 60.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, Full and wide outside off, Kohli points his bat skywards as he lets it go. The umpire whips off the bails, signaling it is STUMPS, DAY 2! |
| An attritional session ends! The Protea bowlers were trying to bore the batters out towards the end as they were bowling it too wide and full outside off. The pair of Kohli and Pandya has done well to not been drawn into that plan by ensuring that the visitors lose no more than the 5 wickets that they have. Kohli has looked very good in his unbeaten knock of 85 runs. Irrespective of the usual talks of who dominated the proceedings and who did not, it made for a compulsive viewing. |
| India were in a better position than what the scorecard shows right now. The start was sedate but the stand between Vijay and Kohli, that was worth 79 runs stood as the backbone of this innings. Vijay missed out on his fifty as he played a cut shot too many but the Indian skipper didn't miss out. South Africa were probing around that off stump line and were largely disciplined in their efforts with the ball. Apart from Philander, the others picked up a wicket apiece and that is indicative of the |
| Earlier, India knocked out the hosts pretty quickly - in just under a session. The credit should go to Ashwin and Ishant, who picked up 7 wickets among them. This helped their side keep South Africa to a total that doesn't look too humongous. In reply, Vijay and Rahul began steadily but then the tourists lost two-in-two, which stalled their momentum. Among those two was an uncharacteristic Pujara run out. |
| So, what do we have on the third day? It could show us which direction the game is headed. The hosts would love to pack the tourists up quickly while the latter will aim to avert just that. There stands a human figure in the middle by the name of Virat Kohli, who seldom lets go of things without a fight. But not for nothing are the Proteas known to be fighters in the cricketing world. Tomorrow promises to be a action-packed day. See you then at 1000 local time (0800 GMT). Adios, take care! |
| ... Day 3, Session 1 ... |
| It's Monday. You are at the right place if the Monday blues are getting to you. As an Indian fan, Kohli will start the day with the bat, 15 short of his 21st Test ton. As a Protea fan, the prospect of the bowlers running in with the ball which is scuffed up is a mouth-watering one. We take immense pleasure in welcoming you to the coverage of Day 3 of this second South Africa-India Test match on at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. |
| The relevant number that we have our eyes on is 152. That's how much runs South Africa still have in their bag. They have been largely disciplined. Loose balls are far and few in between. In view of this, the visitors have done well to score at 3 per over. Pandya looked resolute to stay unbeaten last night. With Maharaj expected to do the bulk of bowling, expect Hardik to flex his muscles. Promises to be an exciting day, the moving one in this game. Be with us. |
| PITCH REPORT - Shaun Pollock says that it's very hot and there's very little breeze to talk of. He opines that it looks like a Day 1 pitch and there aren't any foot marks. Sunil Gavaskar observes a few cracks but they aren't threatening according to him. Adds that this is the slowest track that he has seen in the nation since 1992. States that the hosts have made use of the contrast swing well, referring to the Parthiv Patel dismissal. Pollock ponders about the low bounce and reckons that run-sc |
| It's time for play to get underway. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya walk out to resume their battle. Their approach at the start will be interesting to see. Their stand is worth 19 runs as of now. For the home side, Vernon Philander will begin with the ball. A slip in place and the keeper is upto the stumps. |
| 61.1 : V Philander to Pandya, Four Byes! Not the best of starts from Philander. Slips this down the leg side, Pandya misses his flick. De Kock is standing up to the stumps and hence can't do anything to stop that even though he moves to his left. Runs straightaway in the day. The trail comes down under 150 now, 148 it is. |
| 61.2 : V Philander to Pandya, This one is outside off on a length. Pandya gets it off the outer half towards point. |
| 61.3 : V Philander to Pandya, Fuller on the pads, nudged through backward square leg for one. |
| 61.4 : V Philander to Kohli, Length ball outside off, moving in a touch. The width on that is such that it is easy for Kohli to let it be. |
| 61.5 : V Philander to Kohli, Nicely defended. On a length outside off and coming in, Kohli gets a stride out and defends it right under his eyes. |
| 61.6 : V Philander to Kohli, This time Virat stays on the back foot and blocks it down. |
| The impressive newcomer Lungi Ngidi will begin from the other end. Two slips in place for him. |
| 62.1 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Full and outside off, Hardik moves across and shoulders his arms. |
| 62.2 : L Ngidi to Pandya, On a length outside off, defended towards point. |
| 62.3 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Fuller this time, blocked to the off side. |
| 62.4 : L Ngidi to Pandya, This is well outside off, Pandya just lets it be. |
| Graeme Smith on air is surprised that South Africa haven't begun the day with Morne Morkel. He reckons that on a new day and on such a surface, the extra bounce that the experienced seamer might generate will be good for them. |
| 62.5 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Wonderful bowling. Ngidi is varying his lengths nicely here. Slips in a yorker on off. Pandya does well to dig it out towards mid on. |
| 62.6 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Now a run taken off the last ball in the over by playing it through point. |
| 63.1 : V Philander to Pandya, Hurled around off, defended from the crease off the back foot. |
| 63.2 : V Philander to Pandya, Fuller on off, Pandya taps it to mid on and sets off to the other end. |
| 63.3 : V Philander to Kohli, This ball is blocked towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 63.4 : V Philander to Kohli, Fuller on off, pushed back to the bowler off the front foot. |
| 63.5 : V Philander to Kohli, Width on offer on this one, Virat guides it through point to rotate strike. He moves to 86, while the trail gets down to 144. |
| 63.6 : V Philander to Pandya, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 64.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, FOUR! Streaky! Ngidi hurls it on a length just outside off, Kohli hangs his bat out at that. Edges it wide of the gully fielder and picks up a boundary. Another look at that shows that there was reverse swing on that. Kohli moves to 90 now. |
| 64.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, FOUR! This is classic from the Indian skipper. Full and outside off, in fact overpitched delivery. Kohli gets his stride forward and drives it crisply through covers and moves to 94 with another boundary. |
| 64.3 : L Ngidi to V Kohli, Edged but just short! Kohli would have had his heart in his mouth there. On a length just around off, Kohli gets a thick outside edge as he tries to defend that. Lands well short of Amla at first slip. |
| 64.4 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball on off, defended to the off side. VK immediately shouts a NO. |
| 64.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This ball is hit straight to the man at covers. |
| 64.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Good work from Elgar here. Bowled in line of the stumps, Kohli drives it down the ground past mid on. The fielder chases it down and dives to keep the ball in play. He seems to have saved a run there. The umpire confirms the same. Kohli stays on 97. |
| Kagiso Rabada to have a bowl now. |
| 65.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Back of a length ball on middle, Kohli camps back and defends it. |
| 65.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Virat moves on to 98! Rabada bowls a similar length delivery but on middle, Kohli rocks back, uses his wrists and whips it towards mid-wicket for a run. He called for two as he hit that but there was never a second in that. |
| 65.3 : K Rabada to Pandya, Wide outside off, Pandya shuffles across and leaves it. |
| 65.4 : K Rabada to Pandya, Another ball way outside off, Pandya need not play at those. |
| 65.5 : K Rabada to Pandya, Shorter in length outside off, Hardik guides it to point to give his captain the strike. |
| 65.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, One run short of his 21st ton now! Kohli tries to defend a length ball which jags back in sharply. He gets an inside edge onto his pads, towards the off side for a run. |
| 66.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, 21st Test century for Virat Kohli! Well, some eventful way to get there. He gets a length ball, taps it towards mid-wicket and gets to the other end to score his 100th run. He leaps in joy as he reaches the crease. Takes his helmet off in celebration. But look at this guy's awareness. Spots that there is an overthrow at the keeper's end and hares to the other end for the second run with his helmet in one hand and the bat in the other. Gets in there safely and continues hi |
| 66.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Excellent take by de Kock! This is full and sprayed down the leg side, Virat fails to flick it away. The keeper dives to his left to collect that. |
| 66.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 66.4 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 66.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Full outside off, Kohli just lets it be. |
| 66.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, On a length outside off, Kohli guides it through gully for a brace. |
| Run out appeal against Hardik Pandya! He looks to be safe but the umpire takes it upstairs. Wait, hold on... Pandya hasn't grounded his bat here... |
| 67.1 : K Rabada to Pandya, OUT! Philander gives Pandya a dose of his own medicine, in a different manner though. Yes, he inflicts a run out, that of Pandya. What exactly happened? Here we go. Pandya taps this fuller ball towards mid on and wants a run immediately. Kohli is adamant of there not being one and shouts a huge NO. Hardik turns around to get back safe inside the crease. But he isn't aware to the fact that a throw can come in. Philander gets to the ball and knocks down the stumps at the |
| 0.0 : Ravichandran Ashwin walks in next. He needs to hang out there with his skipper. |
| 67.2 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Banged short on the stumps, ducked under. |
| 67.3 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Another bouncer on the stumps, Ashwin evades it. |
| 67.4 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Ouch! That must have hurt. Back of a length ball on the stumps, Ashwin hops to keep it out. Wears it on his left gloves. The ball dies down on the leg side. Immediately, he throws his left gloves off and rings his hand in pain. |
| The physio is out in the middle with the magic spray. Sprays it on Ashwin's left hand. |
| 67.5 : K Rabada to R Ashwin, FOUR! Not the best ways to get off the mark but Ashwin will take it. South Africa won't mind this either. Rabada hurls it on a length which is on the shorter side. Ashwin flays at it and gets a thick outside edge over the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 67.6 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 68.1 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 68.2 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 68.3 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Ashwin is trying hard to edge it. This is a length ball well outside off, Ashwin could have left it alone. But he decides to have a slash at that but misses. |
| 68.4 : L Ngidi to R Ashwin, FOUR! Not the best of balls bowled by Ngidi. This is short and wide, Ashwin stays on the back foot and cuts it over point for another boundary. Moves to 9 with that. |
| 68.5 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 68.6 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, This one is worked through mid-wicket for one to retain strike. |
| 69.1 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Ashwin stands tall and blocks it from the crease. |
| 69.2 : K Rabada to R Ashwin, FOUR! Make no mistake, this guy can bat. Rabada bowls it full outside off, Ashwin drives it off the front foot through covers. The fence is the destination of the ball. |
| 69.3 : K Rabada to Ashwin, FOUR! If you attacked me with fire early on, here's one of my own. This is what Ashwin might be saying says Harsha Bhogle on air. Gets another ball that is full in length outside off, Ashwin stays on the back foot and punches it through the cover region. A boundary results. Such is the quality of the shot that Kohli's appreciation for that is heard through the stump mic. |
| 69.4 : K Rabada to Ashwin, FOUR! Three-in-three for Ashwin. This is on a length outside off, Ashwin stands on the back foot and punches this through cover-point. Gets another boundary to his name. The partnership is worth 22 and all of those have come off Ashwin's blade. |
| 69.5 : K Rabada to Ashwin, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 69.6 : K Rabada to Ashwin, The ball is way outside the off stump, easy leave for the batsman. |
| Morne Morkel to run in for the first time today. |
| 70.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Kohli gets on strike after some time now. Blocks down this length ball from the crease. |
| 70.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Outside off, left alone. |
| 70.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, First run for Kohli in this stand. Gets a ball on his pads, he flicks it off his pads to get to the other end. |
| 70.4 : M Morkel to Ashwin, This ball is blocked from the crease. |
| 70.5 : M Morkel to Ashwin, This ball is kept out from the crease. |
| 70.6 : M Morkel to Ashwin, Ashwin stays in the crease and guides it through third man for one. |
| 71.1 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Good start to the over. Rabada hurls this on a length outside off, Ashwin has a feel for that but misses. |
| 71.2 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Short of a length, outside off. It moves away after pitching. Ashwin thinks of playing it but then decides against it. |
| 71.3 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 71.4 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Full outside off, pushed to covers. |
| More drama! Ashwin seems to be caught out at gully. The on-field umpires aren't sure even after a discussion. They take it upstairs, with a soft signal being NOT OUT! |
| 71.5 : K Rabada to R Ashwin, NOT OUT! Ashwin stays on. Huge relief for India here. After losing a wicket pretty early in the day, they wouldn't want to lose another.Ashwin has been poking at balls he needn't all the while and almost pays the price here. Hangs his bat out at a length ball outside off. Ends up edging it to gully. Elgar there seems to have taken a good low catch to his left, tumbles and gets up in celebration. The Proteas think they have got another but the umpire isn't in a hurry t |
| 71.6 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Lovely way to end the over. Another length ball outside off, Ashwin plays at it and misses. A good maiden over for Rabada. |
| 72.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Well outside off, left alone. |
| 72.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 72.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, This ball is blocked from the crease. |
| 72.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Bouncer on the stumps, Kohli gets away from the line of the ball. |
| 72.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, No ball from Morkel. He has flicked the bails at his end as he runs in to ball. This man has done it after a long time, states my colleague here. Steven Finn had this nagging habit though. Coming back to the ball, it is a length ball on off, Kohli taps it next to the pitch and crosses over to the other end. |
| M Morkel to Ashwin, Full and outside off, Ash leaves it alone. |
| 72.6 : M Morkel to Ashwin, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| Drinks are on the field now. Eventful hour of play this. South Africa's disciplined bowling efforts show no signs of relenting. India have thrown most of their wickets away and added one more to that list with Pandya's dismissal. That really was a careless effort from the all-rounder. To strong opponents, you give an inch and they grab a mile. The hosts did that by almost picking up Ashwin, who was saved by the ball landing just short of the fielder at gully. Will the Proteas build more pressure |
| 73.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Full and angling into the pads, Kohli flicks it through mid-wicket. There is a fielder in the deep, so the batsmen only get a run. |
| 73.2 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Another short ball outside off, Ashwin does well to evade it. |
| 73.3 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Persists with the short ball but the line is outside off, Ashwin lets it go through to the keeper. |
| 73.4 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Another short ball on the body of the batsman this time. The ball hits Ashwin high on his bat as he tries to defend it. |
| 73.5 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Edge but runs! Rabada bowls it at 147 kph, on a length outside off, gets it to bounce a little more. Ashwin tries to defend but it goes off the edge through backward point. It does not have enough to reach the boundary and the batsmen take two. |
| 73.6 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Errs in line and bowls it on the pads, Ashwin will be disappointed to not have put that away. He misses the flick to get hit on the pads. |
| Spin for the first time today! Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. |
| 74.1 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Good amount of turn there but the line was not threatening! Maharaj tosses it up outside off, turns away. Kohli lets it be. |
| 74.2 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Floats it up on off, driven to covers. |
| 74.3 : K Maharaj to Kohli, FOUR! Bad ball and dispatched! There is very little margin for error when your bowling to a batsman of Kohli's class. Maharaj drags his length back outside off, Virat rocks back and cuts it through point for a boundary. |
| 74.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, DEFT! Another short ball outside off, Kohli waits for it and guides it down through short third man for a brace. |
| There is a backward short leg in place. |
| 74.5 : K Maharaj to Kohli, The move to come over the wicket almost worked! Vicious turn there. Maharaj tosses it up outside leg, it lands on the rough and turns away sharply. Kohli lunges forward in defense but gets beaten to get hit on the thigh pad. |
| 74.6 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Short again on off, Kohli pushes it through covers to keep strike. |
| 75.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, FOUR! A gift but it still has to be put away! Rabada bowls a full toss on leg stump, Kohli flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary. 250 up for India, they trail only by 86 now. |
| 75.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Short and wide outside off, Kohli guides it through point. De Villiers in the deep does really well to run to his right and dive to stop the ball. He keeps them down to two but he might have hurt his knee when he dived as he was on the ground after fielding it. He is up now and looks fit to resume. Good news for the South Africans. |
| 75.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, Good length on off, Kohli defends it off the back foot. |
| 75.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 75.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, Length ball outside off, offers a little width. It is enough for Kohli to play it with an angled bat, down to third man for a run. |
| 75.6 : K Rabada to Ashwin, An inswinger on the pads, Ashwin flicks it down to fine leg for a run. |
| 76.1 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Maharaj continues over the wicket and bowls it down the leg side. Ashwin does a sensible thing by padding it away as he cannot be given out LBW. |
| 76.2 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Another ball down the leg side, RA pads it away. |
| 76.3 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, This time bowls it closer to the leg stump, Ashwin lunges forward to defend but misses to get hit on the pads. The bowler appeals but the umpire shakes his head as the ball clearly pitched outside leg. |
| 76.4 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Another ball down the leg side, Ashwin tries to take full toll of it, as he tries to sweep. He misses it and the ball goes into the gloves of the keeper. |
| 76.5 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Floats it up on off, driven to wide mid on for a run. |
| 76.6 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Shorter in length on middle, Kohli works it around the corner to keep strike. |
| 77.1 : K Rabada to Ashwin, FOUR! Ashwin looks in tremendous form! Rabada bowls it outside off, on a shorter length. Ashwin rocks back and cuts it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 77.2 : K Rabada to Ashwin, Another back of a length delivery outside off, Ashwin guides it through point for a run. 50-run stand up between the two, another vital one. It has also come in quick time, a good one for India. |
| 77.3 : K Rabada to V Kohli, Shorter in length, aimed at the body of the batsman. Kohli tries to pull but it goes off the glove and down to fine leg for a couple. |
| 77.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Bouncer! This time Kohli ducks under it. |
| 77.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, A well-directed bouncer, it really got big on Kohli. He does well to jump and defend it onto the ground. |
| 77.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, Excellent fielding by Maharaj in the deep! The runs though continue to flow for India. Rabada bangs it short and angles it away from the batsman. Kohli guides it in the gap through backward point. Keshav runs to his left from point, slides and pushes it back into play. The batsmen take two. Kohli moves onto 124. |
| 78.1 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Around the wicket now! Maharaj tosses it up on off, Ashwin lunges forward and defends it. |
| 78.2 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Beaten on the cut! Careful, Ashwin! Maharaj bowls it flatter outside off, Ashwin goes for the cut but is beaten by the extra bounce. |
| 78.3 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, In the air...but safe! Ashwin should consider himself lucky here! Maharaj tosses this one up on off, it turns away and also bounces a touch more. Ashwin prods forward in defense but it takes the top of the bat and lobs over the slip fielder for a run. |
| 78.4 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 78.5 : K Maharaj to Kohli, Gives it air on off, driven down towards mid off for a run. |
| 78.6 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Quicker on middle, Ashwin defends it off the back foot. |
| Lungi Ngidi is back into the attack. The new ball is also available in one over. |
| 79.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Ngidi comes running in and lands it on a length around off, Kohli defends it solidly. |
| 79.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Back of a length on off, Kohli drops it towards point for a quick run. He played that by taking his bottom hand off the bat, shades of the Indian great, Rahul Dravid in that. |
| 79.3 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Short and outside off, Ashwin evades it. |
| 79.4 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Short and outside off, this time Ashwin does not find the gap as he cuts it to deep point for a run. |
| 79.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, A risky shot by Kohli though he connected well! Ngidi bowls a short ball outside off, Kohli drags his pull through wide mid on. Rabada from mid on gives it a chase, slides and pushes it back, saves two for his side. The stand is now worth 60 and India trail by another 66 runs. |
| 79.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Back of a length on off, defended to covers. |
| 80.1 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, FOUR! Up and over! Ashwin is oozing in confidence here! Maharaj tosses it up on off, Ashwin plants his front foot ahead and lofts it over mid off for a boundary. |
| 80.2 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 80.3 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Tosses it up on middle, Ashwin defends it solidly. |
| 80.4 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball. Seeing that, Maharaj shortens his length. Ashwin adjusts and defends towards silly point. The ball hits him and rolls back to the keeper. Ashwin had to hurry back to his crease. |
| 80.5 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Huge appeal! Maharaj bowls a straighter one on middle. Ashwin plays for the turn but the ball does not. It hits Ashwin on the pads, Maharaj makes a loud appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Faf, de Kock and Maharaj have a chat but then opt not to review. It seems to be going down leg. |
| 80.6 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Pushed to the cover region by the batsman. |
| The new ball has been taken. Vernon Philander will bowl with it. Now, will we see wickets or runs with it? |
| 81.1 : V Philander to Kohli, FOUR! Fabulous! Full and on off, Kohli loves it there. He drives it through covers and fetches himself a boundary. |
| 81.2 : V Philander to V Kohli, Almost! Philander bowls it outside off, Kohli tries to defend but gets an inside edge which goes really close to the leg pole and down towards fine leg. They complete two. Morkel there runs towards the ball. his arm hits his knee as he tries to pick the ball up and hence he pushes it away further which results in the batsmen taking an extra run. |
| 81.3 : V Philander to R Ashwin, OUT! CAUGHT! The new ball has done the trick, but that shot from Ashwin was completely needless. Philander bowls it outside off, on a drivable length. Ashwin goes after it away from his body. The ball takes the outside edge and flies to second slip where Faf is standing in quite close. He shows good reflexes to take it in front of his face and tumbles down backwards. An excellent catch to break this 71-run stand. Philander gets his first and Ashwin walks back after |
| Mohammed Shami is the next man in. Four slips in place for him. |
| 81.4 : V Philander to Shami, Full and swinging away from outside off, Shami tries to defend it awkwardly but gets beaten. |
| 81.5 : V Philander to Shami, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 81.6 : V Philander to Shami, On the stumps this time, Shami flicks it through fine leg for a run. |
| Morne Morkel back into the attack. |
| 82.1 : M Morkel to Shami, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 82.2 : M Morkel to Shami, Too wide outside off, Shami lets it be. |
| 82.3 : M Morkel to Shami, Lands it on a length around off, Shami blocks it. |
| 82.4 : M Morkel to Shami, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 82.5 : M Morkel to Shami, Back of a length on off, Shami defends it towards point. |
| 82.6 : M Morkel to M Shami, OUT! Another one bites the dust! Taking the new ball is proving out to be an excellent decision! Morkel bangs it on a shorter length outside off, Shami tries to defend it, away from his body. He only manages to edge it to first slip, where Amla a reluctant slip fielder takes a neat catch. He too takes it in front of his face but unlike Faf he keeps his balance and stands his ground. Nevertheless, South Africa are not just two wickets away from taking a lead. |
| Ishant Sharma walks out at no. 10. |
| 83.1 : V Philander to Kohli, Length ball outside off, Kohli lets it be. |
| 83.2 : V Philander to V Kohli, FOUR! CRUNCHED! Kohli walks down the track and drives it through covers. He calls for two initially but the ball crosses the boundary ropes, beating the diving long off fielder. Kohli will have to hit a lot more of these. |
| 83.3 : V Philander to Kohli, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 83.4 : V Philander to Kohli, Back of a length outside off, Kohli guides it towards point for a run. |
| 83.5 : V Philander to Sharma, Good length on off, Sharma defends it solidly. |
| 83.6 : V Philander to Sharma, Wide enough for the batsman to play at it. |
| 84.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Fuller in length on middle, Kohli tries to play it with a straight bat but gets it off the inner half towards deep square leg. He refuses the run though. |
| 84.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Short and outside off, Kohli does not go after it as he lets it through. |
| 84.3 : M Morkel to Kohli,A lovely shot down the ground for no run! Morkel bowls it fuller on middle, Kohli drives it down to long on but does not take a run. He later on asks Ishant whether he is confident playing the last two balls from Morkel. Ishant replies with a yes. |
| 84.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Short and outside off, Kohli guides it to deep point and again does not take a run. |
| 84.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Kohli gets a single! Morkel bangs it on a length around off, Kohli works it through covers for a run. Strangely Kohli wanted a second but it was not on. |
| 84.6 : M Morkel to Sharma, Ishant plays it out! Morkel bowls it on a shorter length outside off, Ishant defends it off the back foot. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 3! |
| The Indian skipper walks off to a standing ovation! He is battling it out there with India needing another 48 runs to wipe off the trail. He notched up his 21st Test ton and received good support from Pandya at the start, but a schoolboy error from the latter cost him his wicket. Later on Ashwin came in and played his shots. He had another vital stand with his skipper, before getting out to the second new ball. |
| The Protea bowlers did not look threatening with the old ball. They gave away 104 runs in this session which is a clear indication of them not keeping it tight. The second new ball though did the trick for them with both Morkel and Philander picking one each. They still have to take two more wickets and they would look to do that quickly. Kohli on the other hand, will try and score some quick runs to possibly get close or even surpass the home side's first innings score. Join us in a while for t |
| ... Day 3, Session 2 ... |
| We are back for the second session. Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma will resume their innings. We just might see the former bring out his ODI mode. For South Africa, Vernon Philander will continue his spell. |
| 85.1 : V Philander to Kohli, Philander starts off with a length ball outside off, Kohli shimmies down the track and guides it towards point for a quick run. |
| 85.2 : V Philander to Sharma, Another length ball, this one takes off the surface. Ishant tries to defend but it goes off the top of the bat and down towards fine leg for a run. |
| 85.3 : V Philander to Kohli, Length delivery on off, defended towards cover for a run. He is trusting Ishant with the strike here. |
| 85.4 : V Philander to Sharma, Nicely bowled! Philander angles it into the batsman and then gets it to shape away after pitching. Ishant tries to defend but gets beaten. |
| 85.5 : V Philander to Sharma, This one is angled into the stumps, gets no movement this time. Ishant stays rooted to his crease as he defends it. |
| 85.6 : V Philander to Sharma, Finishes the over with a length ball and Ishant does really well to keep it out. |
| Morne Morkel will bowl from the other end. |
| 86.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Fuller on off, Kohli drives it down towards long on and this time he does not take a run. Maybe because he feels Ishant will find it difficult to deal with the bounce of Morkel. |
| 0.0 : A run out appeal at the non-striker's end has been taken upstairs. Ishant Sharma is the man in question. He seems to have made it though. |
| 86.2 : M Morkel to Sharma, NOT OUT! Ishant has made his ground! Just though! Kohli walks down the track and flicks the ball on middle, through mid-wicket. He straightaway calls for two. They complete one and set off for two. Ishant seems to be struggling. De Villiers in the deep is quick to the ball and he fires a throw to Morkel who collects and whips the bails off. The umpire goes upstairs and replays show Ishant has made his ground. Good running in the end by the tall fast bowler. |
| 86.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Back of a length on off, Kohli defends it. |
| 86.4 : M Morkel to V Kohli, Fuller outside off, Kohli drives it through covers but only for a run. Ishant has two balls to negotiate. |
| 86.5 : M Morkel to Sharma, One more to face now as he does well to duck under this bouncer. |
| 86.6 : M Morkel to Sharma, Good length on off, Sharma defends it solidly. |
| 87.1 : V Philander to Kohli, Length outside off, Kohli tries to guide it down but it takes the inside edge and onto the ground. |
| 87.2 : V Philander to Kohli, Dances down the track but does not get to the pitch of the ball. He still swings at a ball wide outside off but only manages to connect with thin air. His intentions are clear though. |
| 87.3 : V Philander to Kohli, Short and wide outside off, Kohli cuts it through point for a run. He was disappointed as he might have wanted more there. |
| 87.4 : V Philander to Sharma, Shorter in length outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 87.5 : V Philander to Sharma, Another play and a miss! Philander bowls it in the zone outside off, it shapes away ever so slightly. Ishant pokes at it and gets beaten. |
| 87.6 : V Philander to Sharma, Sprays it down the leg side, Sharma misses the flick. |
| 88.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, That was nicely played! Morkel bowls it short outside off, Kohli guides it down towards third man but does not take a run. |
| 88.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Bowls the off cutter on the pads, Kohli flicks it down towards deep square leg but does not take the run again. |
| 88.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, They have all the fielders on the boundary, offering Kohli a single but he is happy not to take them. He times this short ball towards deep point for no run. |
| 88.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Short ball outside off, Kohli tries to pull but mistimes it back towards the bowler. |
| 88.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR! 150 up for Kohli, this is the 9th time he has passed this mark and he gets there in style. He pulls this short ball with disdain, through mid-wicket for a boundary. He takes his helmet off and acknowledges the applause from the dressing room, he also kisses the locket he wears. Outstanding from the captain. |
| 88.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, WIDE! A bouncer which bounces way above the batsman's head for a wide. |
| M Morkel to Kohli, FOUR BYES! Another bouncer, this time Kohli tries to play the upper cut. He misses and the ball goes over the leaping keeper for a boundary. 300 up for India, they are getting close as they are only 32 behind now. |
| 89.1 : V Philander to Sharma, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 89.2 : V Philander to Sharma, Excellent running! Every run counts here and the Indian captain knows that! Sharma taps the length ball towards cover and sets off for a run. The fielder there has a shy at the non-striker's end but misses. Ishant probably did look like he made it. Wait on... replays later on show, he too did not ground his bat. What was he thinking? Did he not watch Pandya's wicket. Poor from the tall man. |
| 89.3 : V Philander to Kohli, Back of a length on off, Kohli guides it to point for a run. |
| 89.4 : V Philander to Sharma, The batsman has driven it through mid on. |
| 89.5 : V Philander to Sharma, Length outside off, guided through backward point to give the strike to his skipper. |
| 89.6 : V Philander to Kohli, A dot to finish! More importantly Ishant will be on strike in the next over. Philander bowls a bouncer, Kohli is surprised by it as he ducks under it. |
| 90.1 : M Morkel to Sharma, Comes around the wicket and bangs it short. There is a short leg in place. Ishant evades it. |
| 90.2 : M Morkel to Sharma, Another short ball down the leg side, Ishant lets it be. |
| 90.3 : M Morkel to Sharma, Down the leg side again, Ishant tries to flick but misses. |
| 90.4 : M Morkel to Sharma, OUT! The short ball ploy has done the trick! Maybe this is the reason why Kohli did not want to give the strike to Ishant when Morkel was bowling. Nevertheless, he supported Kohli well out there but is now walking back. Morkel digs out a short ball on middle, he gets this one right after bowling three wayward ones. It gets big on the batsman as he tries to defend. The ball hits the top off the bat and lobs to Markram at short leg. He takes an easy catch. India 29 behind |
| Jasprit Bumrah is the last man in. He has two balls to play out. Can he? |
| 90.5 : M Morkel to Bumrah, NASTY! Morkel bangs in another one on middle, Bumrah tries to defend by taking his eyes off the ball. The ball hits the edge of the bat and BANG, onto his helmet and the ball rolls towards gully. That was really nasty but Bumrah seems okay to continue. |
| 90.6 : M Morkel to Bumrah, JUST SHORT! Another short ball on middle, Bumrah tucks it away, uppishly but just short of the leg gully fielder who dives to his right and stops it. End of a successful over by Morkel. |
| Kagiso Rabada is back on. |
| 91.1 : K Rabada to Kohli, Shorter outside off, left alone. |
| 91.2 : K Rabada to Kohli, Back of a length outside off, Kohli guides it to gully. |
| 91.3 : K Rabada to Kohli, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 91.4 : K Rabada to Kohli, Just behind a length outside off, Kohli guides it to point. |
| 91.5 : K Rabada to Kohli, Just ahead of a length on off, Kohli drives it on the up, to covers. |
| 91.6 : K Rabada to Kohli, Shorter in length, Kohli might have expected it as he pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a run. More importantly he keeps strike. |
| 92.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, OUT! Kohli holes out! A wonderful innings comes to an end! Take a bow, skipper! He walks out to a standing ovation and is also congratulated on his way back to the pavilion by the South African players. He comes down the track and times the full ball well but he fails to keep it down. He does not get the elevation desired and hence the ball goes straight into the hands of de Villiers at long on who takes it easily, to give Morkel his fourth. INDIA HAVE BEEN BOWLED OUT FO |
| So, South Africa get a lead of 28! It took them a whole of 43 balls to get rid of the last two batsmen, with Ishant's resistance coming to an end courtesy a short ball from Morkel. Kohli was the final one to fall in the search of some quick runs as held out in the deep. He though fell after scoring his 9th scores of above 150. |
| Innings summary - Trying to wipe out a deficit of 335, India got off to the worst starts possible with losing Pujara and Rahul in consecutive balls. The Kohli and Vijay partnership did steady the ship but they lost heaps of wickets at the end towards day 2. Kohli along with the lower order played exceptionally well to help India cross 300. |
| For South Africa, Morkel was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with a four-fer. He was well supported by the rest as all the bowlers chipped in with wickets. |
| 0.1 : R Ashwin to Markram, Tosses it up on off, Markram defends it solidly. |
| 0.2 : R Ashwin to Markram, Gives it air on off, Markram lunges forward and keeps it out. |
| 0.3 : R Ashwin to Markram, Slower through the air, Markram prods forward in defense. |
| 0.4 : R Ashwin to Markram, The batsman has played it to the point region. |
| 0.5 : R Ashwin to Markram, Once again bowls it flighted ball on off, gets it to turn in, it also bounces a touch more. The ball hits the sticker of Markram's bat as he tries to defend. |
| 0.6 : R Ashwin to Markram, Bowls the carrom ball on off, it spins the other way. Markram tries to defend but it goes off the outside edge, down towards third man for a run. |
| Jasprit Bumrah to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : J Bumrah to Markram, Good length outside off, Markram lets it be. |
| 1.2 : J Bumrah to Markram, OUT! Bumrah strikes! There goes the first one! The ideal start for India. He comes running in and lands it on a length around off, it shapes back in sharply and also stays low. Markram is undone by the low bounce as he hops and tries to defend but misses to get hit on the pads. Bumrah is up and running in celebration as he appeals, he does not even bother looking at the umpire who after a though raises his finger. Aiden walks down to his partner to have a chat but then |
| Hashim Amla walks out at no. 3. he showed signs of getting back into form in the last innings. Can he continue it? |
| 1.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, Length ball outside off, Amla lets it be. |
| 1.4 : J Bumrah to Amla, Almost another one! The ball is staying low here! Bumrah comes running in and lands it on a length around off. it stays a touch low and also jags back in. Amla tries to defend but it takes the inside edge onto his pads. |
| 1.5 : J Bumrah to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 1.6 : J Bumrah to Amla, Good length on off, defended solidly. |
| 2.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on off, Elgar lunges forward and keeps it out. |
| 2.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floats it on off, Elgar prods forward and keeps it out. |
| 2.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 2.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Sloppy form India! Elgar drives this full ball towards mid on. He initially thinks about a run but then opts against it. Bumrah there is quick to the ball and fires a wayward throw towards Patel. He jumps and tries to collect but the ball goes above his glove and also beats Kohli who is behind the keeper, trying to catch the ball. It goes down towards fine leg for an overthrow. Needless run given there and Kohli is not a happy man. |
| 2.5 : R Ashwin to Amla, Gives it air on off, Amla defends it. |
| 2.6 : R Ashwin to Amla, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 3.1 : J Bumrah to Elgar, A huge appeal but an inside edge saves him there! Bumrah goes for the yorker but ends up bowling a full toss. Elgar tries to work it through but gets an inside edge onto his pads. The player appeals but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 3.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Good length around off, angling away. Elgar lets it be. |
| 3.3 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Good length on off, defended off the front foot. |
| 3.4 : Bumrah to Elgar, A yorker on off, Elgar does well to keep it out. |
| 3.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, The batsman chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. |
| 3.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Length outside off, Elgar lets it be. |
| 4.1 : R Ashwin to Amla, Works it with the spin, towards square leg for a run. |
| 4.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Flicks it with the angle towards mid-wicket. |
| 4.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Another appeal against Elgar but not given! Ashwin bowls a straighter ball on middle, Elgar tries to defend but the ball takes the inside edge onto the pads. Ashwin appeals but the umpire remains put. The Indians are bowling really well here. |
| 4.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on off, Elgar drives it to covers. |
| 4.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tosses it up on middle, driven to mid off. |
| 4.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. |
| 5.1 : J Bumrah to Amla, On a length around off, Amla defends it stoutly. |
| 5.2 : J Bumrah to Amla, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 5.3 : J Bumrah to Amla, OUT! That is plumb! Bumrah gets his second and he is breathing fire here! Once again it is the ball which comes in does the trick for him. He steams in and bowls it on a length around off, he gets some inward movement and it also stays low. Amla tries to defend it off the back foot which is probably not a good idea on this wicket. He misses to get hit on the pads. Bumrah, once again, is celebrating even before the umpire raises his finger and Amla straightaway walks off a |
| AB de Villiers walks out. His team is in trouble here and he needs to bail them out, like he has done on many occasions. |
| 5.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, FOUR! Excellent delivery to get first up! Bumrah bowls a yorker on middle, de Villiers somehow manages to get his bat down in time as he gets an inside edge, down towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 5.5 : J Bumrah to de Villiers, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. They pick up a single. |
| 5.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Wide outside off, Elgar lets it be. |
| 6.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated outside off, de Villiers lunges forward and blocks. |
| 6.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Outside off, AB reverse sweeps it through backward point for one. |
| 6.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Another appeal. Indians think that something will happen on every ball. Ashwin bowls this quicker and straighter in line of the stumps, Elgar goes back to flick it but misses. Gets hit high on the thigh pad. Ashwin appeals to no avail. |
| 6.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Lovely ball. Tossed up outside off, draws Dean forward and beats his outside edge. |
| 6.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 6.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, This one is blocked off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 7.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, WIDE! Patel leaps high and stops that well. Goalkeeper stuff! Banged short outside off, AB arches back to let it go. It bounces well over the batter's head and the keeper had to jump up full length to collect that. |
| J Bumrah to Villiers, Another appeal for caught behind! De Villiers goes for the pull to the short ball but seems to have missed it. The slip cordon yells in appeal though. Another look shows that the ball has indeed missed the bat. |
| 7.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Nudged fine down the leg side for a single. |
| 7.3 : J Bumrah to D Elgar, FOUR! Edged but safe. This is angled away from Elgar on a length. He looks to play the drive but gets a thick edge. The ball goes to the third man fence for a boundary. |
| Nice observation. There is a bowlers' map that shows that South Africa have bowled just 5 balls in the line of stumps this morning. Michael Holding on air states about those that aren't on the stumps, that the length is a bit short. That means, those aren't driving length balls. Futile stuff he concludes. |
| 7.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, The batsman gets an inside edge on that which goes fine down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 7.5 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Outside off, left alone. |
| 7.6 : J Bumrah to Villiers, This is wide outside off, left alone. |
| 8.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floated on the pads, nudged away through square leg for a brave. |
| 8.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, This one is pushed towards covers. |
| 8.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Flatter on the pads, Elgar fails to flick it and wears it on the pads. Stifled appeal, turned down. |
| 8.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, What is Elgar up to here? He isn't looking at ease against Ashwin and yet looks to take him on. Gets down the track and looks to go over the top. Ends up slicing it over mid off. Ishant runs backward but fails to get to it. Two runs taken. |
| 8.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 9.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, FOUR! Shot. Nicely played. On a length outside off, de Villiers stays tall on the back foot and punches it through cover-point. Finds the gap there and gets a boundary. |
| 9.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Beaten! On a length outside off, AB looks to defend that but then withdraws his bat. Is late on doing so as the ball passes the edge of the bat. |
| 9.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, On the pads, flicked away through square leg. Pandya chases it down and keeps it down to two. |
| 9.4 : J Bumrah to de Villiers, Driven towards the mid off region. |
| 9.5 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Worked away to the leg side off the pads for one. |
| 9.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, No run. |
| 10.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, No run. |
| 10.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Blocked off the front foot. |
| 10.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, ABD gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. |
| 10.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, He stays back to this one and blocks this out. |
| 10.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Straighter one this time outside off, AB goes back and guides it past slip for one. |
| 10.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Are we playing at the MA Chidambaram, asks my colleague KI. You won't be faulted for thinking on the same lines either as the ball is turning square. This one is well flighted, beats the southpaw with the spin away. Ashwin looks to be in rhythm here. |
| Ishant Sharma to have a bowl now. He was impressive in the first essay, picking a 3-wicket haul. |
| 11.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Begins with a ball outside off, left alone. |
| 11.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, This is outside off at 141 kph, AB shoulders arms to it. Surely, Patel's hands must be feeling the pinch. |
| 11.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, FOUR! Timing. That's all about this stroke. This is pitched up fuller at 141 kph. De Villiers gets his front foot forward and just pushed it through mid off for a boundary. Third boundary for him and he moves to 19. |
| 11.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Fuller on off, blocked from the crease. |
| 11.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 11.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, Driven straight to the man at mid on. |
| 12.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Flatter on the stumps, punched off the back foot towards covers. |
| 12.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Elgar lunges forward and bunts it down with a straight bat. |
| 12.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, DE shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 12.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Poor from Shami. Elgar gets ahead and drives it straight to covers, where Shami lets it through. That enables the batters to rotate strike. |
| 12.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, FOUR! The first real bad ball from Ashwin in this innings. Drops this way short and just outside off. De Villiers isn't someone who will let go of such scoring opportunities. Gets back in a flash and cuts it fiercely through point for a boundary. |
| 12.6 : R Ashwin to Villiers, This one is turned past short leg for one. |
| 13.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Outside off, guided through point for one. |
| 13.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Elgar stays in the crease and blocks it out. |
| 13.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, Streaky runs is what Elgar is accumulating. He moves on to 13 with that, an unlucky number if you'd so believe. This one is delivered fuller in length, he looks to drive it down the ground. Gets a thick outside edge that takes the ball through point. Two runs added to the tally as a result. |
| 13.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, This one is guided through point for one more. |
| 13.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, Bumper in line of the stumps, ABD ducks under that. |
| 13.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, Fuller on the stumps, driven towards mid on. |
| 14.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floated on off, defended off the inner half towards square leg. |
| 14.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Dropped? It will be harsh to use the term but technically it is one. Floated full outside off, Elgar looks to drive it with the spin. Hits it low to Rahul at silly point. The ball hits his fingertips and hits the ground between his legs. |
| 14.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 14.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, FOUR! This one is the shot that he has played with control against the spinner. Tossed up around middle, Elgar takes it on the full and flicks it through mid-wicket. It goes to the fence in a trice. |
| 14.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Elgar taps it in front of square leg and crosses over. Kohli not happy with this. |
| 14.6 : R Ashwin to Villiers, On the pads, flicked past short leg for one. |
| 15.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, FOUR! 50 up for South Africa. Once again de Villiers is in the midst of a recovery for them. This is bowled full in line of the stumps, de Villiers push-drives it down the ground. Ashwin starts chasing it. Once that happens, it isn't wrong to assume a boundary resulting. The partnership is worth 49. |
| 0.0 : The shape of the ball is looked into. The Indians aren't happy with it and hand it to the umpire. He has a look at it after passing it through the 8-shaped gauge and deem it fit to continue. Wonder why you would change a cherry that has given you two quick wickets. |
| 15.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, Length ball around off, de Villiers gets an inside edge onto his pads as he looks to defend. |
| 15.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, That brings up 50 runs between Elgar and de Villiers. Out of that, the latter has scored 31. Shows his value to the side. He taps this one towards cover-point and sets across to the other end. The hosts seem to be on track for a recovery. |
| 15.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Length ball on the pads, Dean misses the flick and it goes off his thigh pads towards backward square leg. There is a shout heard from someone in the slips. A leg bye taken. |
| 15.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 15.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, This one is worked to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 16.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 16.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floated on off, bunted off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 16.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Slider around off, blocked back towards the bowler. |
| 16.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, FOUR! 2nd full toss from Ashwin in the last 6 balls that he has bowled to Elgar. He is letting him off the hook here. This one is a juicy one. The line is on the stumps. Dean gets down and sweeps it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 16.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Beautiful come back from Ash. Flighted ball around off, spins away after pitching. Elgar is forward in defense but fails to get bat to that. Shouts heard for caught behind but the umpire tells them to carry on. |
| 16.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Blocked from the crease towards point. |
| 17.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Full outside off, left alone. |
| 17.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, Similar length ball, de Villiers just gets a half-stride forward and leaves it alone. |
| 17.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, Slower off cutter on a fuller length around off and middle. Driven straight to Rohit at mid-wicket who cops a blow to his bread basket owing to the bad bounce that he got. |
| 17.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Straighter and fast at 140 kph on off. ABD stands tall and defends. |
| 17.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, Length ball around off, defended towards cover-point. |
| 17.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, Fuller on off, guided through the point region for one. |
| With 2 minutes to go, this could be the last over before Tea. |
| 18.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated on middle and leg, worked away through square leg for one. |
| 18.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Indians are right on the money here. Elgar looks to tap it to point and get to the safety of the other end. Ishant Sharma there is alert and doesn't let that happen. Gets the skipper's praise. |
| 18.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Bunted off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 18.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Loopy ball around off, it creates a mini-explosion on the track and spins away. Dean strides forward to defend but the ball just beats the outer edge. |
| 18.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 18.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Straighter just outside off, Dean just lets it be. That's it from the session. TEA, DAY 3! |
| Good to see some friendly chat between Kohli and Elgar there. Shows that the fierce competition is limited to the bat-ball contest and not beyond it. South Africa are effectively 88/2 at this point. The tourists would have loved some more wickets after conceding the advantage after the first innings to the opposition. AB de Villiers is in the middle of it all yet again, being unbeaten on 33 in the stand worth 57. Elgar's stay seemed like treading on a minefield but he has come out of it unscathe |
| Earlier, the visitors were bowled out 28 short of where the Proteas ended up in their first essay. Kohli was the one man army who made this possible, scoring almost 50 percent of his side's runs. After that, Bumrah came out breathing fire to send Markram and Amla packing. Ashwin went about working with his bag of tricks. Expect more of the tweaker on resumption. See you soon. |
| ... Day 3, Session 3 ... |
| Here we are. 37 overs to go in the day's play. A fairly long session, like it has been for the past couple of days. We should get most of them as Ashwin will be seen in action for most time. Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers stride out to resume their vigil. Mohammed Shami will start off this session. A wide slip in position. |
| 19.1 : M Shami to Villiers, Hurled fuller in length around off and middle, defended from the crease with a straight bat. |
| 19.2 : M Shami to Villiers, Length ball outside off, moves in after pitching. De Villiers covers his stumps and lets it go. |
| 19.3 : M Shami to Villiers, Full on off, driven to mid on. Jadeja does the fielding there, not sure for whom he is in. |
| 19.4 : M Shami to Villiers, AB gets behind the line of the ball and blocks it down. |
| 19.5 : M Shami to Villiers, This is around off, kept out from the crease. |
| 19.6 : M Shami to Villiers, This one is punched to the man at covers. |
| As expected, R Ashwin bowl from the other end. |
| 20.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Bowled around off, Elgar stays back and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 20.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Elgar misses flicking it and gets hit high on the pads. |
| 20.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, This one is bunted off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 20.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, SIX! Wow! The first biggie in the game comes in the third innings of the Test match. This is floated in line of the stumps, Elgar clears his front leg and hits it over long on for half a dozen. Just clears the ropes though. |
| 20.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Flatter on off, defended from the crease. |
| 20.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Pushed to the cover region by DE. |
| 21.1 : M Shami to de Villiers, Length ball on off, defended towards mid off. |
| 21.2 : M Shami to Villiers, This one is defended off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 21.3 : M Shami to Villiers, Outside off, left alone. |
| 21.4 : M Shami to Villiers, AB de Villiers clips this through mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 21.5 : M Shami to Elgar, Fuller on off from round the wicket, Elgar keeps it out towards mid on. |
| Sound of thunder goes around the ground. This draws huge cheers from the crowd at Centurion. Rain coming in? The forecast didn't show any such signs. A huge dark cloud is hovering above the ground at the moment. |
| 21.6 : M Shami to Elgar, This is around off, defended from the crease. |
| 22.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Floated on off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 22.2 : Ashwin to Villiers, Floated full outside off, de Villiers looks to sweep it away. Fails to make contact with the ball as his bat hit the ground. A stifled appeal, dies down quickly. Kohli asks Ashwin if the impact was outside off, to which the bowler replies in the affirmative. End of story. |
| The dark clouds would be a relief to the bowler, quips Sunil Gavaskar on air. |
| 22.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, A run taken as AB goes back and works it past short leg. |
| Owing to the big hit in the previous Ashwin over, mid on has been pushed back now. |
| 22.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Elgar defends this towards point. |
| 22.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 22.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, This one is flicked off the pads towards square leg for nothing. |
| 23.1 : M Shami to Villiers, Length ball on off, blocked from the crease. |
| 0.0 : Shami misses his run up and aborts bowling this one. |
| 23.2 : M Shami to Villiers, Fuller on off, driven back down the ground. |
| Another clatter of thunder. This makes the groundsmen alert, who react as school children do after the end-of-day school bell rings. |
| 23.3 : M Shami to Villiers, This ball is driven towards mid off. |
| 23.4 : M Shami to Villiers, Sprayed down the leg side, de Villiers misses the flick. |
| 23.5 : M Shami to Villiers, Length ball, defended off the back foot with a straight bat. |
| Now Shami has to abort his run up yet again. This time de Villiers isn't happy with something in front of the sightscreen. |
| 1520 local time update - Now, now, now! This isn't good news for the cricket lovers. The rain has started to pour down, forcing the players and the umpires off the field. The center is quickly covered. Michael Holding on air says that when the rain stops, resumption shouldn't take time as the drainage facilities are quite good and the outfield might be thirsty as well. |
| 1615 local time update - Hoila! Rejoice folks! The news coming in from the venue is that play should resume in another 5 minutes. No overs are lost and the it can carry on till 1830. |
| Welcome back! The dark clouds haven't gone away completely although the rain has. As a result the floodlights have been switched on. The men concerned are out in the middle and in their respective positions. Shami will run in and de Villiers will face the last ball of the incomplete over... |
| 23.6 : M Shami to Villiers, Fuller on the stumps, flicked away through mid-wicket for one. |
| With overcast conditions on offer, Jasprit Bumrah is brought back for a spell. 5-2-19-2 read his current figures. |
| 24.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Angled in on a length around off, defended to mid-wicket. |
| 24.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, This is outside off, played through point for a run. |
| Mpumelelo Mbangwa on air tells us that Kohli had an animated chat with the umpire. He says that Virat isn't happy with the visibility there. The commentator reckons that it could be more because India's premier spinner won't be assisted much by these conditions. Another aspect of this arguement could have been that due to a wet outfield, the ball would get wet and that will make it difficult for the bowlers to grip the same. |
| 24.3 : J Bumrah to D Elgar, FOUR! Edged but runs. What are you doing, Parthiv? Clearly the wicketkeeper has to go for such catches. This is a definite chance gone down. Bumrah comes in from round the wicket and bowls a length ball just outside off at 138 kph. The ball zips off the surface and climbs up viciously. Elgar is forced to play at that due to the incoming angle. All he ends up doing is get a thick outside edge. There is a big gap between Patel and Pujara at first slip. The ball flies th |
| 24.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, This one is blocked from the crease. |
| 24.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, DE defends it from within the crease. |
| 24.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Another ball on off, kept out from the crease. |
| Shami seems to have missed his run up yet again. |
| 25.1 : M Shami to Villiers, Outside off, played through point for one. |
| 25.2 : M Shami to Elgar, Played to the point region by Elgar. They pick up a single. |
| 25.3 : M Shami to Villiers, Bowled outside off, cut towards point. |
| 25.4 : M Shami to Villiers, FOUR! Nicely played. Shami hurls it on a length outside off, de Villiers camps back and slaps it through cover-point. Huge gap there and hence a boundary is the end result. |
| 25.5 : M Shami to Villiers, That ball has taken the inside edge onto the pads. |
| 25.6 : M Shami to Villiers, Another run taken by playing it through point. |
| 26.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, This ball is kept out off the front foot. |
| 26.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, ABD defends it from within the crease. |
| 26.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Bumrah bowls it on a length, de Villiers gets an inside edge to the on side for one. |
| 26.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Fuller from round the wicket, flicked away through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 26.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, This climbs up from a length around off. Elgar does well to block it with soft hands. |
| 26.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, On the pads, flicked away towards square leg. |
| 27.1 : M Shami to Villiers, Shami bowls this on a length from wide of the crease. De Villiers works this through square leg for a brace. He moves to 46 with this. |
| 27.2 : M Shami to Villiers, The batsman fails to put bat on ball. |
| 27.3 : M Shami to Villiers, Fuller outside off, de Villiers slices this to third man for one. |
| 27.4 : M Shami to Elgar, Sprayed down the leg side, Dean lets it be. |
| 27.5 : M Shami to Elgar, Angling in from round the wicket, bowled on a length around off and middle. Elgar plays it towards mid-wicket. |
| Interesting. Kohli and Rohit are standing at first and second slips respectively now. Well, on that previous occasion, Pujara wasn't at fault and he was proving to be a safe hand at first slip in the recent games. |
| 27.6 : M Shami to Elgar, Elgar picked that bouncer early and let it through to the keeper. |
| 28.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Length ball outside off, AB dabs it through point and helps himself to a brace. Moves to 49 with that. The lead is 117 now. |
| 28.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Lovely, lovely ball. On a length just outside off, de Villiers has to play at that. Hangs his bat out but the ball misses the outside edge by just. Patel catches that and puts in an appeal, a shake of head from Bumrah himself. |
| 28.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Another one, beaten all ends up. Hurled on a length outside off, closer to the off stick. De Villiers has to play for it but gets beaten by a small margin. This sport is about inches, mind you. |
| 28.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Gets the one run, finally, that takes him to his 42nd TEST FIFTY. Gets a fuller ball on off, de Villiers taps it towards covers and hares across to the other end. There was a shy at the keeper's end but Elgar was well in even as the ball missed the stumps there. |
| 28.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 28.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Another one full on off, blocked from the front foot onto the ground. |
| Bad news, folks, again! Not rain, but BAD LIGHT forces the players out this time. The on-field umpires are seen taking the reading on the light meters. This is the benchmark set for the game, meaning, the same level of visibility will result in the game halting for the remaining duration of it. |
| Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri are seen having a word with the match referee and the former seems extremely agitated. Not sure what exactly is the issue, but there are rules in place, there are umpires to monitor the game, so he needn't be so animated. Contrastingly, Faf du Plessis and his boys are seen sitting calmly in their dressing room, keeping an eye on whatever is going on in the match referee's cabin. Nevertheless, that's what we have for the time being. Stay tuned for further u |
| 1710 local time update - It is now past the usual scheduled time for Stumps. Hard to see play resuming past this point, given how dark it was when players walked off. Perhaps the officials won't risk resumption given the mood Kohli was in. The updates from the venue state that covers are drawn even though there is no rain there. |
| So, there we go! The news that became more obvious as time passed by, arrives. PLAY CALLED OFF FOR THE DAY! Rain first and bad light later, rob us of an exciting end to the day. This scenario can well be likened to a good thrilling movie whose poor climax spoils all the fun of watching it. The game is tantalizingly poised at this stage. Like the first Test, we do not seem to have an early start tomorrow. The extra 8 overs would be squeezed in the three sessions each, of the remaining two days. |
| After Tea, we had only 10 overs possible, that too in a couple of installments. Even in that passage, a chance went down. This innings of Elgar will be remembered for him coming out with his dancing shoes on and not the sports one. That phase would have culminated with his dismissal but Patel was too generous or, lazy shall we say, as he didn't go for it. The southpaw has done well to string an unbeaten 87-run stand with de Villiers, who walked in when his side was in a mush. The former skipper |
| Earlier in the day, the tourists were wrapped up soon after Lunch. Their innings had one big score from Kohli, who was the last man dismissed on 153. A useful 71-run partnership with Ashwin helped India reduce the margin of deficit in the first innings. For the Proteas, Morkel stood out with a four-fer while the others chipped in with one wicket apiece. |
| South Africa will aim to put a tall score on board and aided with the lead of the first innings, they'll look to put this game beyond India. But this is easier said than done. The visiting team is intent on not letting the game and the series slip and hence will leave no stone unturned in battling it out. It'll want to run through the Protea batting and have a shot at maintaining Kohli's clean slate as far his captaincy record is concerned. Do join us to find out exactly how the day draws out. S |
| ... Day 4, Session 1 ... |
| We head into day 4 of the second Test between South Africa and India in Centurion with the game evenly poised or slightly in the favor of the hosts, you can say. They lead by 118 and one good session for them can see the game tilt towards them completely. They still have 8 wickets in hand and they would now look to stretch the lead to as much as possible. Remember they have their savior, AB de Villiers, at the crease who is unbeaten on a half ton. |
| For the visitors, wickets is what they need and that too in heaps. A lot will depend on Ashwin, who has got good purchase out of the surface. We might see him do the bulk of the bowling today, like he has done in this game. The Indians would fancy their chances chasing anything under 250 on a wicket which does not have a lot of demons. The first session is a very important and we welcome you for our coverage. Stay tuned... |
| PITCH REPORT - Shaun Pollock and Kepler Wessels say the pitch looks the same and the cracks have also not opened up. Admit there is some variable bounce as seen yesterday in the two dismissals. Inform there is a little bit for the spinners and it will be difficult for the left-handers while facing Ashwin. State there is not a lot of rough outside the right-handers off stump. End by saying it is about getting through the first twenty minutes and then it will ease out a little. |
| We are all set for the action to begin. A new day and we hope to see a less agitated Kohli. He and his teammates make their way out to the middle. For South Africa, AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar will continue their innings. A minimum of 98 overs will be bowled today as we lost overs yesterday, due to rain and then bad light. Ishant Sharma will be bowling the first today. He has a widish slip in place. Here we go... |
| 29.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Starts off with a loosener outside off, de Villiers watchfully makes a leave. |
| 29.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, So Ishant Sharma starts off with two balls outside off, harmless deliveries. De Villiers need not play at those. |
| 29.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, Another leave to a delivery outside off. |
| 29.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 29.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, Better line! He bowls it around off, on a length. The batsman tries to defend but it goes off the inner half towards square leg for the first run for the day. |
| 29.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Comes around the wicket to the left-hander and lands it on a length around off. Elgar defends it solidly. |
| Jasprit Bumrah will bowl from the other end. |
| 30.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Comes running in and bowls it from wide of the crease. Bumrah lands it on a length around off, defended towards mid off. |
| 30.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Flicks it with the angle towards mid-wicket. |
| 30.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, FOUR! Classic shot! Bumrah bowls it slightly fuller on off, AB leans into it and drives it on the up and through covers for the first boundary of the day. |
| 30.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, A single to follow up! On a length on off, de Villiers works it towards wide mid on for a run. He is such a busy player, always looking to score. |
| 30.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Another ball on the shorter side for outside off, Elgar punches it through point for a run. Partnership between the two is 94 now and the lead is 125. |
| 30.6 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Good length on off, de Villiers defends it stoutly. |
| 31.1 : I Sharma to Elgar, Length ball outside off, Elgar taps it towards covers for a run. |
| 31.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, A big appeal! Ishant was pleading there. Sharma comes running in and angles it into the batsman. AB de Villiers tries to flick but misses it to get hit on the pads. Ishant makes a loud appeal, an extended one but the umpire shakes his head. The Indians think about a review but then opt against it. Good they did not as replays later on show it was sliding down leg. |
| 31.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, On a length around off, defended towards point. |
| 31.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Angles it on the pads, de Villiers flicks it down to fine leg to change strike. |
| 31.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, Well bowled! Ishant bowls it on a length around off, Elgar lunges forward and defends it. |
| 31.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, On a length outside off, Elgar makes a leave. |
| 32.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Shortish outside off, offers a little width. Enough for de Villiers to cut it through point. There is a fielder in the deep so only a single results. Also the 100 is up for the hosts. |
| 32.2 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Another single, the Indians need to stop South Africa from taking these singles. Elgar drops it towards point for a quick run. |
| 32.3 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Fuller in length on off, driven to mid off. |
| 32.4 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Fullish ball on middle, de Villiers mistimes it to mid on. |
| 32.5 : J Bumrah to Villiers, That has not bounced at all! Lucky for de Villiers it was not on the stumps. Bumrah bowls it on a length outside off, it stays very low. De Villiers is beaten as he tries to defend and the ball goes under his bat and along the ground to Patel who for once does well behind the stumps. |
| 32.6 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Just behind a length outside off, de Villiers cuts it through point for a run. |
| 33.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Lands it on a length outside off, the batsman lets it be. |
| 33.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, Excellent running! De Villiers is very quick between the wickets. He guides the ball outside off, towards deep backward point for a couple. The 100-run stand is also up between the two. This is the first of this match and it is also taking the game away from the Indians. |
| 33.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, Worked to mid-wicket for no runs. |
| 33.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Bowls it down the leg side, de Villiers tries to flick but misses. |
| 33.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, On a length around off, there is no movement on offer. De Villiers shuffles and defends it onto the ground. |
| 33.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, Another ball outside off, guided towards point for a run. |
| 34.1 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Lands it on a length around off, de Villiers tries to tap it for a run but it goes straight to the fielder and it is a dot ball. |
| 34.2 : J Bumrah to Villiers, Another length ball outside off, de Villiers taps it towards gully and he sets off for a run. He is sent back by his partner as there wasn't one. The fielder there has a shy but misses and the batsmen eventually run one on the overthrow. |
| 34.3 : J Bumrah to D Elgar, EDGY FOUR! Kohli should have stopped that! Bumrah lands it on a length around off, it straightens a touch, Elgar tries to defend but it goes off the outside edge but well short of Kohli at widish first slip who puts in a half-hearted effort and lets it through for a boundary. |
| 34.4 : J Bumrah to Elgar, BEATEN! Excellent delivery! Elgar has looked so unconvincing out there but he is surviving! Bumrah comes running in and angles it into the batsman, it straightens after pitching around off. Elgar tries to defend but is beaten. |
| 34.5 : J Bumrah to Elgar, On the pads, Elgar flicks it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 34.6 : J Bumrah to Elgar, Good length on middle, Elgar defends it back to the bowler. |
| 35.1 : I Sharma to Villiers, Just behind a length on off, de Villiers defends it. |
| 35.2 : I Sharma to Villiers, OOOO! That almost kisses the outside edge. Ishant bowls it in the zone outside off, it moves away after pitching and de Villiers is beaten as he tries to play for the natural angle. |
| 35.3 : I Sharma to Villiers, FOUR! Excellent placement! Ishant bowls it short and outside off, de Villiers places it through point for a boundary. |
| 35.4 : I Sharma to Villiers, Works it to mid-wicket with the angle. |
| 35.5 : I Sharma to Villiers, Another appeal but the keeper is not at all interested! Ishant bowls it down the leg side, AB goes for the flick but it goes off something to the keeper. The bowler and some of the fielders make a huge shout but there is nothing from the keeper. Replays later on show that it had flicked the thigh pad. |
| 35.6 : I Sharma to Villiers, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| R Ashwin is into the attack. |
| 36.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, He starts off with a tossed up delivery outside off, Elgar waits for the ball to do its bit and defends it. |
| 36.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Shorter in length on middle, Elgar works it against the spin, through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 36.3 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Gives it air on off, de Villiers lunges forward and defends it. |
| 36.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Another short ball outside off, the ball comes very slow off the surface. De Villiers has all the time in the world to rock back and punch it through covers for a couple. |
| 36.5 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Tosses it up on off, de Villiers defends it off the front foot. |
| 36.6 : R Ashwin to Villiers, FOUR! Excellent shot! De Villiers goes down on one knee, he sweeps the ball with the spin and into the square leg fence. 151 is the lead now. |
| 37.1 : I Sharma to Elgar, Another good ball outside off, Elgar lets it be. He also dishes out some words to Elgar. |
| 37.2 : I Sharma to Elgar, Good lengths hit by Ishant! He bowls it on off, Elgar defends it onto the ground. |
| 37.3 : I Sharma to Elgar, FOUR! Fifty for Elgar and he gets there with the most convincing shot he has played till now. It is his 9th in this format. He gets a half-volley outside off, Elgar leans into it and drives it through extra covers for a boundary. |
| 37.4 : I Sharma to Elgar, Bowls it on a length outside off, Elgar lets it be. |
| 37.5 : I Sharma to Elgar, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 37.6 : I Sharma to Elgar, Once again bowls it on a length around off, Elgar defends it towards point for a quick run. 5 runs from the over. |
| 38.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Another tossed up ball on middle, Elgar defends it. |
| 38.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, There is no pace at all on this wicket. Ashwin bowls it on middle, it comes quite slow off the surface. Elgar rocks back and works it to mid-wicket. |
| 38.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has played it to the point region. |
| 38.4 : Ashwin to Elgar, FOUR! Not in convincing fashion but Elgar won't mind! Ashwin tosses it up on middle, Elgar moves his front leg out of the way, he takes the aerial route but does not connect it well. It still has enough to clear mid off for a boundary. |
| 38.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 38.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floated on off, defended stoutly. |
| Mohammed Shami is into the attack now. |
| 39.1 : M Shami to Villiers, FOUR! Welcome to the bowling crease Shami! You just can't offer width to this guy he will pounce on it. Shami bowls it short outside off, a loosener. De Villiers guides it through backward point and into the fence. |
| 39.2 : M Shami to Villiers, This was nicely played by AB! Shami bowls it fuller on off, it tails back in late. De Villiers drives it to mid on. |
| 39.3 : M Shami to Villiers, Works the length ball around the corner for a run. |
| 39.4 : M Shami to D Elgar, FOUR! Second boundary of the over! Not a good start by Shami. He bangs it short on middle, too easy for Elgar as he pulls it through square leg for a boundary. |
| 39.5 : M Shami to Elgar, Back of a length on off, defended towards point. |
| 39.6 : M Shami to Elgar, Angles it into the batsman, defended towards mid on. 9 runs from the over, an expensive first by Shami. |
| 40.1 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 40.2 : R Ashwin to Villiers, De Villiers brings out the reverse sweep this time and he connects well. India do have a fielder for that shot in the deep and only a single results. |
| 40.3 : R Ashwin to D Elgar, Driven towards the mid on region. They pick up a single. |
| 40.4 : R Ashwin to Villiers, Works it with the spin through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 40.5 : R Ashwin to D Elgar, Edge but short! Ashwin tosses this one up on off, it turns away. Elgar tries to defend but it goes off the edge but well short of Kohli. |
| 40.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, BEATEN! How many times did we see this yesterday? Ashwin tosses it up on off, turns away sharply. Elgar tries to defend it off the back foot but is beaten again. |
| 41.1 : M Shami to Villiers, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Shami gets the big fish! A huge wicket for India, the breakthrough they needed. He lands it on a length around off, gets some extra bounce off the surface with some movement inwards. De Villiers tries to guide ti down to third man but is surprised by the extra bounce. He tries to pull his bat out of the way but is too late in doing that. The ball takes the edge and goes to Parthiv who makes no mistake. The 141-run stand comes to an end and India w |
| 0.0 : Faf du Plessis is the next man in. |
| 41.2 : M Shami to Plessis, Another length delivery outside around off, Faf defends it solidly. |
| 41.3 : M Shami to Plessis, On a length around off, Faf lets it be. |
| 41.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Good length outside off, the batsman lets it be. |
| 41.5 : M Shami to du Plessis, The batsman has driven it through mid on. |
| 41.6 : M Shami to Plessis, Length ball on off, FDP defends it solidly. |
| 42.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Floated outside off, Elgar gets it off the outer half past silly point for one. |
| 42.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flatter on off, defended from the crease. |
| 42.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FOUR! Nice way to get off the mark. Du Plessis does not seem to be out there to block his way out. Sees this flighted ball outside off, Faf gets outside off and plays the sweep. Gets it off the bottom of his bat but that's enough to help the ball roll to the fine leg fence for a boundary. |
| 42.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This one is flicked away round the corner for one. |
| 42.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Played to the point region by DE. |
| 42.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Elgar stays on the back foot and presents a straight bat in negotiating this one. |
| 43.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Fuller on off and middle, Faf stays in the crease and defends it out. |
| 43.2 : M Shami to Plessis, Angling in to the batter from over the wicket, flicked straight to the man at mid-wicket. |
| 43.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Almost gone. Shami hurls it on a length outside off, Faf has a feel for that and just gets beaten. Wasn't far from kissing the outside edge of the blade. |
| 43.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Full in line of the stumps, driven back down the ground. Mid on gets to his left and intercepts it. |
| 43.5 : M Shami to Plessis, Length ball outside off, punched towards covers. Pujara does well there with a dive. |
| 43.6 : M Shami to Plessis, This delivery is kept out off the back foot. A maiden from Shami now. |
| 44.1 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The short of length delivery has been cut away through square on the off side. |
| 44.2 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Tossed up outside off, defended towards covers. |
| 44.3 : R Ashwin to Elgar, On the pads flicked away towards mid-wicket. |
| 44.4 : R Ashwin to Elgar, Dean has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 44.5 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The occasional ball turns like this and beats the batter all ends up. Ashwin tosses it generously around off, Elgar goes back to play it but gets beaten by the away spin. Parthiv's glovework has been shoddy and here again he fails to collect that. |
| 44.6 : R Ashwin to Elgar, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 45.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Length ball angling in, nudged down to fine leg for one. |
| 0.0 : Square leg goes back. Shall we expect a bouncer? |
| 45.2 : M Shami to Elgar, This is bowled outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 45.3 : M Shami to Elgar, Full and straight down the leg side, DE misses the flick. |
| 45.4 : M Shami to Elgar, In line of the stumps, defended off the front foot. |
| 45.5 : M Shami to Elgar, OUT! Is this the big moment that India need? The change of angle works for Shami. Shami comes round the wicket and bangs it short just outside off. It is angled in as well. Elgar instinctively goes for the hook and fails to account for the fielder placed in the deep. Hits it straight down Rahul's throat at deep backward square leg. He fumbles on the first attempt but manages to cling on and looks relieved to have done that. Another set batter departs and Elgar, who was |
| Quinton de Kock walks in next. One southpaw replaces the other and this guy has a good time to get some runs under his belt. He is on a pair, remember. |
| 45.6 : M Shami to Kock, Length ball around off, kept out from the crease. |
| 46.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This one is flicked away towards mid-wicket. |
| 46.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Dropped! Tough one though. These are the ones that stick, actually. Served on the pads, du Plessis looks to work it away with the angle. Gets finer than he would have liked. Rahul at backwar short leg dives full length to his right but fails to hang on this time. How costly will this be. Full marks for the attempt though. |
| 46.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This is defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 46.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, On the pads, flicked away. |
| 46.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, FDP has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 46.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Another one on the pads, worked round the corner. |
| 47.1 : M Shami to Kock, FOUR! Slash and slash hard! That's what de Kock has done to get off the pair here. Length ball outside off, he goes hard at it and edges it just over the leaping Kohli at wide slip to get a boundary. |
| 47.2 : M Shami to Kock, FOUR! Another edge, another boundary. Length ball just outside off, de Kock hangs his bat out that. Gets a thick outside edge that flies past the keeper and to the fence. This time Patel dives to his left but fails to reach that. |
| 47.3 : M Shami to de Kock, FOUR! Streaky yet again! This time there is a second slip in place, Rohit Sharma. De Kock plays at this length ball away from his body yet again. Perhaps opens the face of his bat at the last moment and gets it well past Sharma for a boundary. |
| 47.4 : M Shami to Kock, OUT! De Kock was trying hard to get out and he does edge one eventually! Generally bowlers strive hard to take a wicket but here it is the southpaw who tried hard and succeeded in gifting one here. Edged the previous three balls and got boundaries (the last one seemed an edge at the first glance). This one is edged again but goes straight into Parthiv's gloves. No mistake this time by the keeper. Hard to understand why you'd play at that repeatedly. Credit to Shami to be |
| The next man in for South Africa is Vernon Philander. My colleague observes that whenever he laughs, a wicket goes down off the next one and that's what has happened even here. |
| 47.5 : M Shami to Philander, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 47.6 : M Shami to Philander, That ball has struck the batsman on the thigh-pad. The batsmen have run through for a single. The Umpire signals Leg Bye. |
| 48.1 : R Ashwin to Philander, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 48.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, Eased through mid on for a run to get off the mark. |
| 48.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Kept out from the back foot. |
| 48.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated on the stumps, swept away for one. |
| 48.5 : R Ashwin to Philander, Blocked towards mid-wicket from the crease. |
| 48.6 : R Ashwin to Philander, Vernon defends it from within the crease. |
| 49.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Stifled appeal, all good. Full and angling down leg, Faf misses the flick to get hit on the pads. Low toned appeal to no avail. |
| 49.2 : M Shami to Plessis, This is bowled outside off, shouldered arms to by FDP. |
| 49.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 49.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Full and slanting in, clipped away to fine leg for one. Pandya does the mopping up there. He hasn't worn that white lip guard today and hence my partner here failed to recognise him. |
| 49.5 : M Shami to Philander, Banged in line of the stumps, ducked under by Vernon. |
| 49.6 : M Shami to V Philander, Fuller on off, defended towards mid on. |
| Du Plessis is not ready. He has some issues with the sightscreen and tells Ashwin to stop in his run up. |
| 50.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated around off, full in length, swept away to deep square leg for one. |
| 50.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, Played through mid-wicket by VP. |
| 50.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Spiteful turn at Centurion! Yes, you read that right. Tossed up outside off, the ball takes a puff of dust from the surface and spins in sharply. Philander has to go back hurriedly to keep it out and ends up almost playing it on from between his legs. |
| 50.4 : R Ashwin to Philander, Vernon works it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 50.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flatter on the pads, flicked away towards short leg. |
| 50.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, In line of the stumps, back foot defense on display. |
| 51.1 : M Shami to Philander, Early loud call from Faf! Remember the Philander-du Plessis history, right? In the first essay, there was a terrible mix up that resulted in the former's wicket. Here the skipper doesn't want that to happen. Vernon taps this towards covers and sets off for a run. A loud call from the opposite end makes him abort the idea. |
| 51.2 : M Shami to Philander, This is defended to the on side. |
| 51.3 : M Shami to Philander, Confusion again, could have proved fatal for sure. Philander works it towards square leg and sets off for a run. This time Faf responds. Kohli from mid-wicket gets there and fires a wild throw at the striker's end. Du Plessis would have been a goner had he hit. |
| 51.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Run, run, run, shouts du Plessis as he flicks it through square leg. Pandya dives in the deep and keeps them down to two. The lead now reached double ton. |
| 51.5 : M Shami to Plessis, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 51.6 : M Shami to Plessis, Knocked him over? No! It seemed so at the first look that Shami had breached du Plessis defenses. But it struck his thigh pad and rolled to the slip cordon. Lovely ball to end the over. |
| 52.1 : R Ashwin to Philander, This ball is punched off the back foot. |
| 52.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, Flatter on the pads, kept down to leg slip. |
| 52.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Tossed up on off, defended towards mid-wicket off the front foot. |
| 52.4 : R Ashwin to Philander, Again placed to the same area. |
| 52.5 : R Ashwin to Philander, Ashwin comes round the wicket and lands it around leg. Philander goes back to flick but it goes off his thigh pad to Rahul at short leg. All the close in fielders apart from him go up in appeal. He knew it perhaps. |
| 52.6 : R Ashwin to Philander, Vernon has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| Jasprit Bumrah back on. |
| 53.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Around off, du Plessis mistimes his punch back towards the bowler. |
| 53.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, This one is punched off the back foot towards covers. |
| 53.3 : J Bumrah to du Plessis, Fuller on off, driven towards mid off. |
| 53.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Loud clear call for YES from the Protea skipper as soon as he hit it towards wide mid off. A run completed with ease. |
| 53.5 : J Bumrah to V Philander, This ball is kept out towards mid off. |
| 53.6 : J Bumrah to Philander, Around off, blocked off the back foot. |
| 54.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flatter outside off, Faf goes across and pads it out. |
| 54.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Similar line, Faf offers no stroke and wears it on the pads. |
| Good umpiring. Philander was trying some time-wasting tactics there to which the umpire says that 'you can do it after Lunch'. |
| 54.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, This one is clipped towards mid-wicket. |
| 54.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Du Plessis presses forward and bunts it down. |
| 54.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Ash comes round the wicket and lands it around middle and leg, turned towards mid-wicket. |
| 54.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated outside off, defended off the front foot towards short leg. LUNCH on the penultimate day! |
| 26 overs, 83 runs, 3 wickets - these are the relevant figures for this session. The over rate is 13. Not encouraging. India should have slipped in a few more overs in a bid to eke out some more wickets but that's not to be. Aakash Chopra had tweeted this morning that India shouldn't expect a session filled with wickets and should be happy with something around 75/4 this morning. That's what has happened so far. |
| Elgar and de Villiers looked assured when they started off. They stitched together a 141-run stand, the highest in this series so far. Although the former looked a touch fidgety, the latter more-than-compensated for that and was unlucky to fall short of his century by 20 runs. That gave India the little opening they needed and they picked up a couple more soon after. More fortunate were they to prise out Elgar as well. |
| Ashwin toiled around unsuccessfully for 22 overs. Shami was the man who ran in and troubled the hosts with the ball. The scalps that he got were a just reward for his efforts. What can we expect next? Perhaps more screams from Kohli. More plays and misses, maybe. Some more attritional cricket definitely. See you soon on the other side. |
| ... Penultimate Day, Penultimate Session ... |
| We're back! Good to have you with us. The South African lead stands at 201 at this point, with half the side still in the hut. Out come the players and the umpires as well. This session will begin with Vernon Philander facing Jasprit Bumrah first up. Faf du Plessis waits at the other end. Kohli has tended to have this fielder often in this game - the widish first slip. Has him again. Here we go... |
| 55.1 : J Bumrah to Philander, Fuller ball on off to start off, defended off the front foot towards covers. |
| 55.2 : J Bumrah to Philander, This is well outside off, played through the point region for a single. Philander moves to 4, lead to 202. |
| 55.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Loud call in affirmation for a run from du Plessis after driving it towards wide mid off. Ishant does the mop up but a single taken easily. |
| 55.4 : J Bumrah to Philander, Vernon stays put on the back foot in defending this from the crease. |
| 55.5 : J Bumrah to Philander, This ball is flicked to the man at mid-wicket for nothing. |
| Sunil Gavaskar on air says that there are cracks on the surface but they are more horizontal. These won't affect the batters as much as the vertical ones would, he opines. Explains why there hasn't been much to look forward to for the bowlers. |
| 55.6 : J Bumrah to Philander, Fuller in length, Philander comes forward in defense. |
| As expected, Ravichandran Ashwin to bowl from the other end. Strangely, he hasn't got much off the surface today, the rain affecting the surface perhaps. |
| 56.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Starts round the wicket and bowls it around middle. Faf prods forward in defense. |
| 56.2 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Similar ball, worked away wide of mid on for a run. |
| 56.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Philander lets this come to the bat and pats it towards covers for one. |
| 56.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Faf uses his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and works it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 56.5 : R Ashwin to Philander, Ashwin comes over the wicket now. Serves it just outside off, defended off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 56.6 : R Ashwin to Philander, Nicely played. Vernon pushes this through covers for one to retain strike. |
| 57.1 : J Bumrah to Philander, This is bowled outside off, pushed towards point. Shouts of encouragement heard from the Indian skipper. |
| 57.2 : J Bumrah to Philander, Bumper on the stumps, Vernon ducks. |
| 57.3 : J Bumrah to Philander, Length ball angling in at the stumps, Philander presents a straight bat to block it back towards the bowler. More shouts to cheer up the bowler from Kohli. |
| 57.4 : J Bumrah to Philander, Fuller on the stumps, stonewalled from the crease. |
| 57.5 : J Bumrah to Philander, Yorker! Well played in the end, you've to say. My colleague Rish was just ranting as to why a good limited overs bowler like Bumrah isn't bowling a yorker to a lower order bat like Vernon. He gets his wish fulfilled here. But Vernon negotiates it well. Looks to dig it out but gets hit low on the pads. Question asked from the bowler, no response from the ump. |
| 57.6 : J Bumrah to Philander, Flicked away off the pads for one to retain strike. |
| 58.1 : R Ashwin to V Philander, FOUR! Too full that, grunts Michael Holding on air. Playing against the turn isn't easy and Philander needs to be credited for that here. Floated full and outside off, Philander gets his front foot down and drives it nicely through covers. Gets a boundary as a result. |
| 58.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, Bunted off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 58.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Floated full on off, driven back down the ground powerfully. Ashwin does well to make a half-stop there, nothing conceded though. |
| 58.4 : R Ashwin to Philander, Flatter on the pads, turned away to the on side. |
| 58.5 : R Ashwin to Philander, Now a run taken after VP turns this away past short leg. |
| 58.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 59.1 : J Bumrah to Philander, Straighter in line of the stumps, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 59.2 : J Bumrah to Philander, This one is blocked towards covers for nothing. |
| 59.3 : Bumrah to Philander, Length ball angling in, Philander misses the flick and wears it high on the pads. An appeal follows but doesn't get the desired nod. |
| 59.4 : J Bumrah to V Philander, Good work but not so good! Driven on the up towards mid off. Ishant gets to his left, does well to put in the slide. But ends up parrying it back without stopping it cleanly. Ends up conceding a brace. He nails down the stumps at the bowler's end with the throw due to which Bumrah appeals. Michael Holding gives reply to that on air, saying du Plessis wouldn't be too careless to do what Pandya did. Sums it up. |
| 59.5 : J Bumrah to Philander, Fuller on off, played to covers. |
| 59.6 : J Bumrah to Philander, This is defended off the front foot solidly. |
| 60.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Nicely done, Puji! Tossed up ball around off, worked away towards mid-wicket. Pujara from square leg runs to his left and keeps it down to one with a dive. |
| 60.2 : R Ashwin to Philander, This is flicked to square leg off the back foot. |
| 60.3 : R Ashwin to Philander, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 60.4 : R Ashwin to Philander, Worked towards mid on for one. |
| 60.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floated around middle, du Plessis comes down the track to work it away to the on side. Kohli does well now to stop it with a dive and prevent a run. |
| 60.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Patted towards covers for one to retain strike. |
| Bat first? Toe first? India appeal for an LBW against du Plessis. On not getting the nod, they go upstairs after conferring amongst themselves. |
| 61.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, NOT OUT! Bat only! Weirdest of reviews from India. Bumrah runs in and slips in a yorker in line of the stumps. Du Plessis seems to have dug it out well but his front leg was also close to the bat. India appeal but fail to get the desired decision. Kohli asks Parthiv, Pujara at covers and then the bowler before signaling for the DRS. The first replay itself embarrasses the Indians as there doesn't seem to be anything on that except the bat. Wonder why the bowler didn't |
| 61.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Length ball on off defended from the crease. |
| 61.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Faf looks to work this to the on side but ends up getting a leading edge towards covers. |
| 61.4 : J Bumrah to Plessis, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 61.5 : J Bumrah to Philander, This ball is defended from the front foot onto the ground. |
| 61.6 : J Bumrah to Philander, FOUR! Strays on the pads and pays the price. Bumrah bowls this full in length, Philander just helps it across to the fine leg fence. |
| Hardik Pandya to bowl for the first time in this innings. |
| 62.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, On a length around off, defended from the crease. |
| 62.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Bowled down the leg side, Faf misses his flick. |
| 62.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Patted towards covers for one. |
| Short leg in place now. |
| 62.4 : H Pandya to Philander, Length ball on off, blocked from the crease. |
| The on-air commentators inform us that this session and the next one is extended by 15 minutes to make up for the time lost yesterday. |
| 62.5 : H Pandya to Philander, Much better delivery from Pandya. Gets it to jag back in from a length around off. Philander gets his bat down in a hurry and ends up getting it off the inner half on his front pad. |
| 62.6 : H Pandya to Philander, Off cutter outside off, Vernon covers his stumps to let it go. It goes on the bounce to the keeper. |
| Ishant Sharma to roll his arm from the other end now. He's wicketless in this innings so far. The hosts at this stage are ahead by 224. |
| 63.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Hurled on a length on off, Faf keeps it out with a block from the crease. |
| 63.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Fuller outside off, driven to the man stationed at covers. |
| 63.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Drags his length back this time, defended with a straight bat towards covers. |
| 63.4 : I Sharma to du Plessis, A bit of shape this time. Fuller in length, moves away a touch. Squares du Plessis a bit and he ends up getting an outside edge through backward point for one. |
| 63.5 : I Sharma to Philander, Length ball in a line just outside off. Vernon opens the face of the bat to guide it to the man at deep backward point for a single. |
| 63.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Similar ball, defended towards point where Vijay fields. Two runs off this over, SA two short of reaching 200. |
| 64.1 : H Pandya to Philander, Philander nudges this towards fine leg. Patel runs to it and gets it. One run taken. |
| 64.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball angling in, du Plessis lets it come to him and directs it to short leg. |
| Another review taken, more in hope than conviction. It is for LBW against du Plessis again. Seems to be sliding down leg... |
| 64.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, The decision wasn't surprising as it turns out. NOT OUT! Looked so to the naked eye as well, but it turns out closer than we thought. Pandya hurls this on a length around off and coming in. Du Plessis seems to be taken aback by something as he indicated so after missing the flick and getting hit on the front pad. Pandya says that there's no inside edge and hence Kohli, after asking someone else as well, perhaps the keeper, opts for the DRS. Time for a re-look. No insid |
| 64.4 : H Pandya to du Plessis, Fuller outside off, driven powerfully to covers. |
| 64.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 64.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, Quick run there. Faf punches this towards covers and takes off to the other end quickly. There is a shy at the batter's end but it doesn't hit the stumps there even as Philander strives to make it in and does eventually. Patel dives to back the throw up. The 200th South African run is up here, the overall lead 28 more than that figure. |
| 65.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Kept out off the back foot to the off side. |
| 65.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Gone! Oh no! KI, my colleague's reaction made me type so excitedly. It is bowled on a length just outside off, this one unlike others doesn't move away. It holds its line even as Faf is forced to defend it away from his body. Seems like a tickling sound came as the ball passed the willow but no other Indian on the field there felt so. |
| 65.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, This ball is defended awkwardly towards point. |
| 65.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, The batsman failed to make contact and was hit low on the pads. |
| 65.5 : I Sharma to Plessis, Du Plessis stands tall and blocks it down. |
| 65.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, On the pads, worked away to the on side. A good maiden over from the lanky pacer. |
| 66.1 : H Pandya to Philander, Fuller and angling in, worked with the line to short mid-wicket. |
| 66.2 : H Pandya to Philander, Off cutter outside off, Philander goes for the drive through covers. Seems to have inside edged it. The ball goes on the bounce to Patel, who fails to gather it. Replays show the absence of an edge there as the ball spun in from the surface with a puff of dust. |
| 66.3 : H Pandya to Philander, This is well outside off, left alone. The pace reads as 141 kph. |
| 66.4 : H Pandya to V Philander, Shorter in length, Philander looks to pull it. Ends up getting an inside edge onto his pads and the ball rolls through backward square leg for one. |
| 66.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, This one is played off the front foot towards mid on. |
| 66.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, Hardik comes round the wicket and bowls it on the pads. The Protea skipper works it away to fine leg for one. The lead moves to 230 now. |
| Communicating in a language which is not known to the opposition is so useful.... when India were batting we observed that Virat Kohli was talking in Hindi with his partners. Now, Faf du Plessis follows that principle and is talking to Vernon Philander in Afrikaans. Could have translated what he said... only if we knew that language... anyone willing to help? |
| 67.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Short and angling down leg, Faf leaves it alone. |
| 67.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Fuller outside off, left alone. |
| 67.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Well bowled. Hurled just outside off, du Plessis looks to play it through the off side. Gets undone by the low bounce and gets beaten on the inside. The ball goes on the bounce to Patel. Shows the slow pace of the track. |
| 67.4 : I Sharma to du Plessis, Bouncer around off, pulled all along the ground to deep square leg for one. Often we don't appreciate the beauty of this stroke as the replay makes me do. Faf had his eyes on the ball till the end and roll his hand on that to ensure he doesn't hit it aerially. |
| 67.5 : I Sharma to Philander, Easy this. Length delivery on the pads, nudged down to fine leg for one. The stand is worth 41 runs now off 121 balls. Shows the time it had taken to come. |
| 67.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Fuller and straighter on the stumps, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 68.1 : H Pandya to V Philander, This is full outside off, driven to covers. |
| 68.2 : H Pandya to Philander, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 68.3 : H Pandya to Philander, Philander blocks it off the back foot. |
| 68.4 : H Pandya to Philander, No short leg this time and Philander uses that spot to take his 24th run. He flicks it aerially through that spot and gets to the other end. He overtakes du Plessis now. |
| 68.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Full on off, driven back to the bowler. |
| 68.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, This is fuller outside off, driven to mid off. |
| 69.1 : I Sharma to Philander, Length ball on off, kept out with a straight bat towards the bowler. |
| 69.2 : I Sharma to Philander, Very full on off, dug out to covers. Shouts of encouragement still heard. Wonder where the energy comes for them to go on egging even when nothing is happening. |
| 69.3 : I Sharma to Philander, Philander stands tall and presents a dead bat to keep it out. |
| 69.4 : I Sharma to Philander, Bowled on the pads, Vernon fails to flick it and gets it through backward square leg off his pads. A leg bye signaled as a run is taken. |
| 69.5 : I Sharma to Plessis, This length delivery is played off the back foot defensively towards covers. |
| 69.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another ball around off, kept out from the crease towards the cover region for nothing. |
| The drinks break comes as a respite from this monotonous bat-ball contest (actually a no contest at the moment). At the moment it just seems as if players from one side are running in with a red round object in their hands and landing it in an area for the wooden object to make contact. Du Plessis has found a wonderful confidant in Philander who has helped him string a 43-run stand off 133 balls. 10 overs to go for the second new ball and that would be the only thing that we can look forward to |
| 70.1 : H Pandya to Philander, Attacks the stumps on a length. Philander defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 70.2 : H Pandya to Philander, Angling into the batsman, he hops and flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 70.3 : H Pandya to Philander, There is a leg gully and Pandya is bowling to his field but Philander is playing it well. Hardik bowls it a touch shorter, aims it at the rib cage of the batsman. Vernon, quite comfortably tucks it around the corner for a run. |
| 70.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Length ball outside off, Plessis guides it down to third man for a run. |
| 70.5 : H Pandya to Philander, Good length ball on off, Pandya defends it solidly. |
| 70.6 : H Pandya to Philander, Angles it on the pads, Philander works it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 71.1 : I Sharma to Plessis, Ishant has managed to keep it tight! He bowls it on a length around off, Faf defends it solidly. |
| 71.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another ball pitched on a length, in the zone outside off. FDP shoulders arms to it. |
| 71.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another ball pitched on a length, in the zone outside off. FDP shoulders arms to it. |
| 71.4 : I Sharma to Plessis, Arieal but well short! India are desperate for a wicket and they need this to go to hand. Ishant bowls a inswinger on middle, Faf flicks it uppishly but well short of Kohli. |
| 71.5 : I Sharma to Plessis, Another length ball outside off, Faf lets it be. |
| 71.6 : I Sharma to Plessis, Bowls it on a length on off, du Plessis plants his front foot forward and defends it. |
| 72.1 : H Pandya to Philander, Pandya has been consistently bowling on a length. He does the same here on off, Philander defends it. |
| 72.2 : H Pandya to V Philander, Finally a shot with intent but does not time it! Pandya bowls it a touch shorter on middle, Philander tries to pull but mistimes it to mid-wicket. |
| 72.3 : H Pandya to Philander, India trying everything to take a wicket here as Pandya comes around the wicket and angles it across the batsman. Vernon defends it towards the cover region and thinks for a run but is sent back. |
| 72.4 : H Pandya to Philander, An off cutter on middle, Philander blocks it. |
| 72.5 : H Pandya to Philander, Another ball on a length around off, Philander works it towards mid-wicket. |
| 72.6 : H Pandya to Philander, Sprays it on the pads, Philander works it through mid-wicket to move to his 26th run. |
| 73.1 : I Sharma to Philander, Length on middle, Philander defends it towards mid on. |
| 73.2 : I Sharma to Philander, That has come in appreciably! Ishant bowls it on a length around off, it shapes in late. Philander chops it to gully. |
| 73.3 : I Sharma to Philander, Just ahead of a length on off, worked to mid-wicket. Ishant tumbles onto the ground on his followthrough but he is back up again. |
| 73.4 : I Sharma to V Philander, OUT! ISHANT STRIKES! The frustrating 46-run stand off 156 balls has been broken! Sharma gets his first and he is ecstatic. He bangs it in short on middle, Philander plays the pull shot but does not time it. It lobs towards Murali Vijay who is standing in front of square for an easy catch. Philander walks back after playing a gritty knock. Also the nature of this partnership has not let the game slip away from India, this wicket has now brought the visitors back in |
| Keshav Maharaj walks out to the middle. Also in the meantime the ball has been changed for mystery reasons. |
| 73.5 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Another good delivery on middle, swinging back in. Maharaj tries to defend but it takes the inside edge through square leg for a couple. |
| 73.6 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Errs in line and bowls it down the leg side. Maharaj misses the flick and the umpire signals a wide. |
| 74.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Good length on off, du Plessis defends it solidly. |
| 74.2 : Pandya to Plessis, EDGED AND GONE! No wait... the umpire does not think so! Hardik though was adamant there was an edge there. He bowls it short and outside off, Faf goes for the square cut but seems to have missed it. Parthiv dives to his right and collects the ball. Hardik makes a huge appeal but the umpire shakes his head. Pandya wants it to be reviewed but nor does the keeper and neither does his captain agree and hence they dont. Hardik walks back to his mark in anger but the Parthiv |
| 74.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, On the pads, Faf tries to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 74.4 : H Pandya to Plessis, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 74.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Sprays it down the leg side, FDP lets it be. |
| 74.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, Shorter in length outside off, this one stays low. Faf is beaten by the low bounce as he tries to cut. End of a maiden over by Pandya. |
| 75.1 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Good length on off, Maharaj defends it towards covers. |
| 75.2 : I Sharma to Maharaj, Fullish ball outside off, Maharaj lets it be. |
| 75.3 : I Sharma to Maharaj, FOUR! Off the bottom! Ishant serves a full toss down the leg side. All Maharaj has to do is put bat on it. He does so but does not get it off the middle, it goes off the bottom and down to fine leg for a boundary. |
| 75.4 : I Sharma to Maharaj, A bumper on middle, Maharaj ducks under it. |
| 75.5 : I Sharma to Maharaj, The ball is down the leg side but the batsman still goes after it. |
| 75.6 : I Sharma to Maharaj, OUT! Another one bites the dust! Ishant Sharma roars in celebration as he gets his second in consecutive overs. He bowls it on a length around off, it straightens a touch and also gets big on the batsman. Maharaj pokes at it and gets an outside edge to the keeper, Patel, who takes it. Maharaj walks back early and the Indians are back in the game now. |
| Kagiso Rabada walks in at no. 9. Meanwhile, R Ashwin is back into the attack. |
| 76.1 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Tosses it up on off, Faf defends it. |
| 76.2 : R Ashwin to du Plessis, Flatter on off, Faf gets an outside edge through short third man for a couple. |
| 76.3 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Floats it up on middle, Faf tries to work it but it goes off the glove to leg slip. |
| 76.4 : R Ashwin to Plessis, The batsman has played it fine down the leg side. |
| 76.5 : R Ashwin to Plessis, Flighted ball outside off, it turns back in sharply. Faf tries to defend but coming out of the line of off but misses. It hits him on top of the pad and lobs towards Sharma at first slip. There is an appeal for LBW first and then for a catch but the umpire stays put. |
| 76.6 : R Ashwin to Plessis, A single to end the over! Faf pushes it through covers for a run. |
| 77.1 : I Sharma to du Plessis, Good length on off, stays a touch low. Faf tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 77.2 : I Sharma to Plessis, Fuller in length on off, FDP crisply times it to covers. |
| 77.3 : I Sharma to Plessis, Slower ball outside off, Faf reads it early and strokes it through covers for a run. |
| 77.4 : I Sharma to Rabada, Short and wide outside off, not a lot of fizz off the surface. Rabada watches it go through to the keeper. |
| 77.5 : I Sharma to Rabada, Nicely bowled! Making good use of the angle, Ishant. He has his tail up here. He comes running in and lands it on a length around off, it angles away. Rabada tries to defend but is beaten. |
| 77.6 : I Sharma to Rabada, Shortish ball on middle, Rabada ducks under it. |
| Just one over for Ashwin! Hardik Pandya is back into the attack. |
| 78.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Right on the money first up! He lands it on a length around off, Faf defends it off the front foot. |
| 78.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Works it around the corner with the angle. |
| 78.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, On a length around off, defended towards mid-wicket. |
| 78.4 : H Pandya to du Plessis, Fullish ball on middle, swings in late. FDP flicks it to mid on. |
| 78.5 : H Pandya to Plessis, Another ball on a length around off, du Plessis defends it by taking his hand off the handle. |
| 78.6 : H Pandya to Plessis, FOUR! This is Faf's first boundary in this session! Pandya bowls it on a length outside off, offers a little width. Du Plessis times it through covers for a boundary. The lead is now 250. |
| Change of ends for Ashwin! More than ends I think he has been brought in for the left-hander who is on strike. |
| 79.1 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Fires it on middle, Rabada defends it. |
| 79.2 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Tosses it up on off, it turns away sharply. Rabada goes for the booming drive but misses. The ball beats the keeper and even goes past the diving slip fielder for a two byes. |
| 79.3 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The straighter one outside off, Kagiso lets it be. |
| 79.4 : R Ashwin to Rabada, BEATEN! Ashiwn gives it air and bowls it on off, it turns away and also bounces. Rabada tries to defend but lunging forward but is beaten. |
| 79.5 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. |
| 79.6 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Defends the ball on off, of the front foot. |
| The new ball is now due! Will India take it? No they don't and Pandya continues. |
| 80.1 : H Pandya to Plessis, Good length on off, Faf defends it off the front foot. |
| 80.2 : H Pandya to Plessis, Angles it on the pads, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 80.3 : H Pandya to Plessis, Back of a length on off, taps it towards cover-point for a run. |
| 80.4 : H Pandya to Rabada, Shorter in length on the body of the batsman, cramping him for room. Rabada tucks it to square leg. |
| 80.5 : H Pandya to Rabada, Just short! A length ball on middle, Rabada flicks it uppishly but short of short mid-wicket. |
| 80.6 : H Pandya to Rabada, Length on middle, Rabada defends it. |
| Mohammed Shami is back into the attack. |
| 81.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Bowls it on a length outside off, Faf lets it be. |
| 81.2 : M Shami to Plessis, Slower ball on a fuller length on off, the batsman mistimes it to mid on. |
| 81.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Good length on off, stays a touch low. Du Plessis gets it off the bottom towards mid on. |
| 81.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Good bowling! Very full and tailing back in late. Faf drives it back towards Shami. |
| 81.5 : M Shami to Plessis, Bowls it on middle, worked to mid-wicket. |
| Ohkay! A friendly warning there by Kohli to Rabada as he left the non-striker's crease even before the ball was dead. Kohli could have inflicted a run out but instead complained to the umpire about it and the umpire too had a word with Rabada about the same. Don't think he will be leaving the crease now. |
| 81.6 : M Shami to Plessis, FOUR! 3000 runs for Faf du Plessis in Tests and he gets there in style! Short and on the body, Faf swivels and pulls it through backward square leg for a boundary. |
| A session which India will be mighty pleased with! They have not leaked runs and also managed to pick two wickets. South Africa completely lacked intent as Philander and du Plessis did not play a lot of attacking strokes and were content on defending everything that was thrown at them. They stitched a frustrating stand of 46 of 156 balls which was eventually broken by Ishant Sharma. He picked both the wickets to fall in this session and has been the pick of the bowlers for the away side. |
| The lead stands at 258, and the question here is how many more do South Africa want? Will they come out with intent in the next innings or will they be happy to play out for a draw? Judging by their approach in the second session, they don't mind one. Nevertheless, the Indian side is going for it and they will look to snap up the remaining wickets quickly. A lot of questions have to be answered after the break. Join us in a while for the resumption. |
| ... Day 4, Session 3 ... |
| We are back for the final session! Faf du Plessis and Rabada will continue their innings. Ashwin will bowl the first over after the break. Here we go... |
| 82.1 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Fires it down the leg side, Rabada misses the flick. |
| 82.2 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Tosses it up on off, defended. |
| 82.3 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Gives it air on off, Rabada prods forward and blocks it. |
| 82.4 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Slower through the air outside off, Rabada leaves it watchfully. |
| 82.5 : R Ashwin to Rabada, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 82.6 : R Ashwin to Rabada, Comes over the wicket and lands it on leg stump. Rabada keeps it out. |
| Mohammed Shami will bowl from the other end. He bowled just the one over in the middle session. |
| 83.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Fuller on middle, driven towards mid on. |
| 83.2 : M Shami to Plessis, On a length around off, Faf defends it. |
| 83.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Good cricket all around here! Shami bowls it on a length around off, it shoots off the surface. Du Plessis does really well to hop and play that along the ground, through point for a run. |
| 83.4 : M Shami to Rabada, Worked through mid-wicket with the angle and strangely Faf says no for a run. Why would he do that now? The on air commentator mentions he does not want Rabada to face Ashwin and he would be more comfortable facing the pacers. |
| 83.5 : M Shami to Rabada, Good length on off, defended solidly. |
| 83.6 : M Shami to Rabada, FOUR! Off the mark after 20 balls! A top shot to get off the mark! Shami bowls it fuller on off, Rabada times it beautifully through mid off for a boundary. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is back into the attack. |
| 84.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Shorter in length outside off, Faf slaps it through extra covers for a couple. |
| 84.2 : J Bumrah to du Plessis, FOUR! Up and over! Expensive start to Bumrah's over! He bangs it short on middle, Faf takes on the challenge of pulling it and he does well. He hits it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 84.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Better length! Bumrah has to be patient and hit those lengths consistently. He bowls it on off, du Plessis defends it. |
| 84.4 : J Bumrah to Rabada, A muted appeal! Bumrah comes around the wicket and lands it on leg stump, Rabada misses the flick and the ball hits him on the pads. There is a muted appeal but the umpire shakes his head. |
| 84.5 : J Bumrah to Rabada, Good length outside off, Rabada tries to defend but is beaten by the low bounce. |
| 84.6 : J Bumrah to Rabada, Fuller on middle, Rabada flicks it to mid on. |
| 85.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Length ball on off, Faf defends it. |
| 85.2 : M Shami to Plessis, Just behind a length on off, pushed to covers. |
| 85.3 : M Shami to Plessis, Good length on off, Faf defends it off the front foot. |
| 85.4 : M Shami to Plessis, Bowls it on a length around off, du Plessis guides it towards backward point for no run. |
| 85.5 : M Shami to Plessis, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. |
| 85.6 : M Shami to Plessis, A low full toss on middle, Faf flicks it towards wide mid on and to everybody's surprise, Ashwin there runs to his right and stops the ball from going past him. He does not stop it cleanly but saves three. |
| 86.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, DROPPED! That came back quickly though! Bumrah bowls it very full on middle, Faf drives it back uppishly towards the bowler who tries taking evasive action and also catch it at the same time. The ball hits him on his hands and onto the ground, Never looked like catching that one, Bumrah. |
| 86.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, A short ball, pulled through square leg for a run. |
| 86.3 : J Bumrah to Rabada, Bouncer! Down the leg side, Rabada ducks under it. |
| 86.4 : J Bumrah to Rabada, Another bouncer, a well-directed one this time. Rabada at the very last moment evades it. |
| 86.5 : J Bumrah to Rabada, The batsman shoulders arms to let that one through. |
| 86.6 : J Bumrah to Rabada, Another bumper on middle, this time maybe Rabada was expecting it and hence ducks under it easily. |
| 87.1 : M Shami to Plessis, Fuller in length on off, driven towards mid off and set off for a run. The fielder scores a direct hit at the striker's end but the batsman has made it. |
| 87.2 : M Shami to K Rabada, OUT! GONE! Shami gets his fourth! He bowls it on a length around off, Rabada tries to drive it on the up with minimal feet movement. It flies off the outside edge to Kohli at second slip who does not drop this one. An early wicket for India after the break, just what they wanted. The lead is 273. |
| Morne Morkel strides out. |
| 87.3 : M Shami to Morkel, Lands it on a length around off, Morkel defends it. |
| 87.4 : M Shami to Morkel, Short on the body of the batsman. Morkel ducks under it. |
| 87.5 : M Shami to Morkel, Changes his angle but bowls it wide outside off, Morkel lets it be. |
| 87.6 : M Shami to Morkel, Changes the angle again and bowls it from around the wicket. He bowls it on middle, Morkel plays it towards mid on. |
| 88.1 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Back of a length on off, pushed to deep point but does not run. |
| 88.2 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Singles are on offer but Faf does not want to take them! He drives the length ball to sweeper covers but no run taken. |
| 88.3 : J Bumrah to Plessis, Smart bowling! Bumrah bowls the slower one. Faf reads it well too and plays it onto the ground. |
| 88.4 : Bumrah to Plessis, OUT! Excellent catch by Bumrah! He dropped one earlier but latches onto this one! He once again bowls another slower one on middle, Faf this time is early into the shot and it goes off the inner half to the right of the bowler who sticks his right hand out and hangs on. Jasprit is delighted as he throws the ball up in joy. He gets his third and Faf walks back after an innings which lacked intent. he falls four two short of his third half ton of the series. India are one |
| Lungi Ngidi is the last man in. |
| 88.5 : Bumrah to Ngidi, A yorker on middle, Ngidi digs it out. |
| 88.6 : J Bumrah to Ngidi, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| R Ashwin is back on. |
| 89.1 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Shorter in length on middle, pushed to mid on. |
| 89.2 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Fires it on the pads, Morkel flicks it fine down the leg side for a couple. |
| 89.3 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Drags his length back, Morkel pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 89.4 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 89.5 : R Ashwin to Morkel, Tosses it up on leg stump, Morkel tries to work it on the leg side but the ball bounce extra and he gets a soft leading edge towards covers. |
| 89.6 : R Ashwin to Morkel, FOUR! Poor by Ashwin, he is gifting runs! He bowls it short on middle, Morkel rocks back and whips it through mid-wicket for a boundary. 279 is the lead can they take it up to 300? |
| 90.1 : Bumrah to Ngidi, Short and down the leg side, Ngidi goes for the pull but misses and it goes to the keeper. An ambitious appeal by the Indians and the umpire shakes his head. |
| 90.2 : J Bumrah to Ngidi, Another short ball on middle, Ngidi once again goes for the pull but misses. Another stifled appeal and the umpire shakes his head. |
| 90.3 : J Bumrah to Ngidi, Handy runs for South Africa! Bumrah bowls the third bumper of the over! Ngidi goes for the pull but it goes off the helmet and down towards third man. Kohli from first slip gives it a chase and the batsmen take two leg byes. |
| 90.4 : J Bumrah to Ngidi, The batsman tries hooking that one but misses it completely. |
| 90.5 : J Bumrah to Ngidi, Ngidi gets off the mark! Bumrah bowls a yorker on middle, Lungi manages to get bat on it as it rolls towards square leg for a run. |
| 0.1 : V Philander to Vijay, Good start for India! They are off the mark straightaway! Back of a length on off, Vijay guides it through point for a run. |
| 0.2 : V Philander to Rahul, Beauty! Fuller in length on off, shapes away. Rahul is drawn into the drive but gets beaten. No need of playing those especially on the first ball. He has a smile on his face but that would have been wiped off had he edged it. |
| 0.3 : V Philander to Rahul, Back of a length on off, Rahul defends it solidly. |
| 0.4 : V Philander to Rahul, Good length on off, Rahul defends it off the front foot. |
| 0.5 : V Philander to Rahul, This was better from Rahul! He shoulders arms to a ball outside off. |
| 0.6 : V Philander to Rahul, On a length around off, Rahul defends it back to the bowler. |
| Kagiso Rabada will share the new ball! |
| 1.1 : K Rabada to Vijay, Fuller in length outside off, Vijay lets it be. |
| 1.2 : K Rabada to Vijay, Another ball outside off, Vijay need not play at those. |
| 1.3 : K Rabada to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay taps it towards point and calls for a run. Vijay hesitates but they continue with it as Rahul responds to the initial call. Maharaj fires a wayward throw at the non-striker's end and the batsmen get an extra run. |
| 1.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, Good length outside off, Vijay shoulders his arms to it. |
| 1.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 1.6 : K Rabada to Vijay, Another ball outside off, comes slow off the surface, it surely did not look 142 Kph. Vijay makes a leave. |
| 2.1 : V Philander to Rahul, Full ball outside off, wanting Rahul to go after it loosely. Rahul has learnt from his mistake on his first ball and lets it be. |
| 2.2 : V Philander to Rahul, Good length on off, Rahul taps it towards cover-point for a run. |
| 2.3 : V Philander to Vijay, Length outside off, Vijay lets it be. |
| 2.4 : V Philander to Vijay, Yes, no, yes, no and to Vijay's delight Rabada slips. Gavaskar on air mentions that the calling between the two has not been good. Vijay taps the length ball towards mid on and initially calls for a run. The two hesitate again but then go through with it. Rabada runs towards the ball and slips as he reaches to it. No harm done. |
| 2.5 : V Philander to Rahul, Good length outside off, Rahul opts not to play at it. |
| 2.6 : V Philander to Rahul, Another delivery outside off, a harmless ball. Rahul leaves it. |
| 3.1 : K Rabada to Vijay, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 3.2 : K Rabada to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay defends it. |
| 3.3 : K Rabada to Vijay, FOUR! Top shot! Not an easy shot to play. Back of a length delivery outside off, Vijay rocks back and punches it through cover-point for the first boundary off the Indian innings. |
| 3.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, Now back to leaving deliveries outside off. |
| 3.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, A similar shot to the boundary he hit but this time Faf has a man at deep point. So only a single. A defensive approach by Faf? Maybe because the pitch is not that hard to bat on. |
| 3.6 : K Rabada to Rahul, Back of a length on off, Rahul taps it towards point for an another easy run. This is what India have to do, keep rotating strike, put away the bad balls and not gift wickets like they did in the first innings. |
| 4.1 : V Philander to Rahul, Good length on off, Rahul defends it solidly. |
| 4.2 : V Philander to Rahul, Philander bowls an outswinger on off, Rahul defends it by staying inside the crease. |
| 4.3 : V Philander to Rahul, Wide enough for the batsman to not play at it. |
| 4.4 : V Philander to Rahul, Well played and well bowled! Philander is trying to shape the ball away but is not able to do so. He bowls it on a length around off, Rahul defends it to covers. |
| 4.5 : V Philander to Rahul, He angles it into the pads and then gets it to shape away a little. Rahul does really well to not close his face early and instead defends it with a straight bat. |
| 4.6 : V Philander to Rahul, On a length outside off, bounces a touch more. Rahul still has a lot of time to adjust and defend it onto the ground as it is a slow pitch. |
| 5.1 : K Rabada to Vijay, Good length on off, Vijay lunges forward and defends it. |
| 5.2 : K Rabada to Vijay, Shorter in length outside off, Vijay does not play at it. |
| 5.3 : K Rabada to Vijay, Angles it into the batsman, Vijay works it to mid-wicket. |
| 5.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, Back of a length on off, Vijay defends it off the back foot. |
| 5.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, Length ball outside off, Vijay is not interested in playing at it. |
| 5.6 : K Rabada to Vijay, Bouncer! This bounces way above the batsman's head. Lucky to have not called it a wide. |
| 6.1 : V Philander to Rahul, On the pads, worked to mid-wicket. |
| 6.2 : V Philander to Rahul, Full and wide outside off, swinging away. Rahul once again leaves it. A little closer to the off pole with the same swing and the slip cordon might be in business. |
| 6.3 : V Philander to Rahul, On a length around off, defended solidly. |
| 6.4 : V Philander to Rahul, Just ahead of a length on off, Rahul defends it onto the ground. This is the line I am talking about, now just the swing. |
| 6.5 : V Philander to Rahul, Length outside off, left alone. |
| 6.6 : V Philander to Rahul, Ho, ho, ho! That was close to the off pole and also stays low! He lands it on a length outside off, stays very low. Rahul is beaten as he tries to defend and the ball goes agonizingly close to the off pole. We saw many a deliveries like this during the South African batting but none misbehaved from the line of the stumps. This was very close though. |
| 7.1 : K Rabada to Vijay, Fuller in length on off, eased to covers. |
| 7.2 : K Rabada to Vijay, On a length around middle, Vijay defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.3 : K Rabada to Vijay, Back of a length outside off, Vijay defends it away form his body. |
| 7.4 : K Rabada to Vijay, Another ball outside off, Vijay makes a leave. |
| 7.5 : K Rabada to Vijay, OUT! Drags it on! Rabada draws first blood! An early wicket for South Africa. Rabada lands it on a length around off, jags back in and also stays very low. Vijay tries to defend but the ball takes the bottom edge and deflects onto the stumps. Not a lot Vijay could have done on that delivery. He walks back dejected and India have been rocked back early. 276 more needed. |
| Cheteshwar Pujara walks out at no. 3. |
| 7.6 : K Rabada to Pujara, Good length outside off, Pujara lets it be. End of a maiden wicket for Rabada. |
| 8.1 : V Philander to Rahul, Length on off, defended solidly. |
| 8.2 : V Philander to Rahul, Finally a run! Rahul flicks this ball down to fine leg for a run. |
| The man from backward point moves into the slip cordon. |
| 8.3 : V Philander to Pujara, Good length outside off, Pujara lets it be. |
| 8.4 : V Philander to Pujara, Worked with the angle towards mid-wicket. |
| 8.5 : V Philander to Pujara, On a length around off, shaping away. Pujara guides it through backward point for a couple. |
| 8.6 : V Philander to Pujara, Good length on middle, defended towards mid on. |
| 9.1 : K Rabada to Rahul, Intent. That's writ large on this single from KL Rahul. However, Pujara's heart would have been in his mouth. The former taps this length ball towards point and sets off for a run. The latter responds without any hesitation. He would have given an after-thought to that call seeing de Villiers get to the ball but does well to make it in. AB nails a direct hit at the striker's end but Pujara is well in. |
| 9.2 : K Rabada to Pujara, Length ball on off, defended from the crease. |
| 9.3 : K Rabada to C Pujara, Banged short in line of the stumps, Pujara ducks under it. QDK leaps high but still manages to only make a partial stop. A bye taken. |
| 9.4 : K Rabada to L Rahul, This is full and outside off, driven nicely to covers. |
| 9.5 : K Rabada to Rahul, This is outside off, left alone. |
| The ball has been shown to the umpire. The seam seems to be bruised and Morkel does the right thing by taking it to the umpire rather than picking on it and taking things in his hands. |
| 9.6 : K Rabada to Rahul, Rahul blocks it down off the front foot onto the ground. |
| 10.1 : V Philander to Pujara, Full length ball outside off, Pujara hangs out his defensive bat at that. Gets an inside edge onto his pads. On another unfortunate day, his stumps would have been clattered as a result. |
| 0.0 : Two slips and a catcher at short mid-wicket await. |
| 10.2 : V Philander to Pujara, Fuller and closer to the stumps, Pujara defends it off the front foot. |
| 10.3 : V Philander to Pujara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 10.4 : V Philander to Pujara, Well outside off and moving further away, Pujara minds his own business by letting it be. |
| 10.5 : V Philander to Pujara, This one comes in a touch from a length outside off, Pujara defends it from the crease with a straight bat. |
| 10.6 : V Philander to Pujara, Lovely bowling. Seeing the previous ball come in, Pujara hangs his defensive bat out to play at that. But this one moves away from outside off beating the outside edge by not much. Clever stuff from Vern. Maiden over. |
| Lungi Ngidi is brought into the attack now. |
| 11.1 : L Ngidi to L Rahul, OUT! KL Rahul, what have you done? Brain fade? Overconfidence? Wonder what else it could be. Whatever it is, the young Ngidi picks up his second Test wicket. Now the voices talking about Dhawan-for-Rahul will get louder. His face hangs down in disappointment but he has nobody else to blame but the man whom he sees when he looks in the mirror. Ngidi bowls a harmless length ball outside off. Yes, HARMLESS. Rahul could have left it alone all day long. Instead, he hits it |
| 0.0 : Virat Kohli walks in to bat next. I think it's time that we stop giving huge build-ups and introduction about this guy. If you want it, take this - 153. |
| 11.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Bowled on off, defended back towards the bowler. |
| 11.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This is hurled outside off, left alone. |
| 11.4 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball around off, defended off the back foot. |
| 11.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 11.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Kohli stays put on his back foot and blocks it down. |
| Another change. The tall Morne Morkel will run in with the ball now. He's on the back of a four-fer in the first innings. On his home ground, his confidence will be taller than his height. |
| 12.1 : M Morkel to Pujara, Begins with a full ball outside off, left alone by Pujara. |
| 12.2 : M Morkel to Pujara, On a length outside off, defended towards point. |
| 12.3 : M Morkel to Pujara, Well left. Che covers his stumps and shoulders arms to that one. |
| 12.4 : M Morkel to Pujara, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 12.5 : M Morkel to Pujara, Fuller in line of the stumps, clipped to mid-wicket. |
| 12.6 : M Morkel to Pujara, Length ball, a touch on the shorter side, outside off. Pujara minds his own business by getting his bat out of the way. A maiden over to start for the Giraffe. |
| 13.1 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Ngidi angles this from outside off, Virat gets solidly behind that and defends it down to the off side. |
| 13.2 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Fuller in length, outside off, Kohli lunges forward and defends it. |
| 13.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Around off, blocked from the crease. |
| 13.4 : L Ngidi to V Kohli, FOUR! Almost gone! That's what the first look showed. Length delivery aiming at the stumps, it squares Kohli up. He ends up edging it past third slip and gets a boundary. Of all the ways to get off the mark, this is the one this time for the Indian skipper and that too after 8 balls. |
| 13.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Length ball straighter in line, Kohli plays it towards square leg and gets to the other end. |
| 13.6 : L Ngidi to Pujara, Outside off, left alone. |
| 14.1 : M Morkel to Kohli, Bowled outside off, Kohli leaves it alone. |
| 14.2 : M Morkel to Kohli, Length ball on the stumps, Virat has to hop up to keep it out. |
| 14.3 : M Morkel to Kohli, Low bounce, that's what seems to be troubling the Indians here. Morne delivers it on a length around off, Kohli looks to defend it off the back foot. But the low bounce means that he ends up playing with with the bottom of his blade. |
| 14.4 : M Morkel to Kohli, Well outside off, swings away as well. Left alone by VK. |
| 14.5 : M Morkel to Kohli, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 14.6 : M Morkel to Kohli, Another one outside off, left alone by Kohli. Second maiden on the trot for Morkel. |
| 15.1 : L Ngidi to Pujara, FOUR! Come back, come back, shouts Kohli as soon as Pujara played that and they crossed for a run. But no need, as the ball has been timed really well. This is angled in on a length, Pujara works it through fine leg. Morkel has to run to his right in the deep, he does so and slides in an attempt to stop that. But he lands on his right shoulder and fails to keep the ball in play. No questioning his commitment but one wonders whether the lanky pacer needs to risk an injury |
| 15.2 : L Ngidi to Pujara, This one is flicked away through square leg for one. |
| 15.3 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Kohli gets nicely forward in defending this towards covers. |
| 15.4 : L Ngidi to Kohli, On a length, Kohli keeps it out off the back foot. |
| 15.5 : L Ngidi to Kohli, Defended off the back foot towards point. |
| Gone! Kohli has been given the marching orders here. After a lot of pondering, he opts for the DRS. This one stayed low and scooted in. No chance of getting saved due to height. Inside edge? Let's see. |
| 15.6 : L Ngidi to Kohli, OUT! Game, set, match? The frustrating look on Kohli's face and the felicity on the South Africans' says just that. Ngidi lands it on a length outside off and it nips back in viciously. What's more, it stays low as well. Kohli hops up and looks to flick it away but misses to get hit on the front pad. Dead duck. The appeal from the Proteas is just a formality and they get the umpire's nod. Virat knows he is a goner but the value that he brings to the side made him opt for |
| Parthiv Patel strides out to bat next. Surprising move? Not sure. If anything, India must have sent him in as an assured nightwatchman. Or maybe a left-right combination. |
| 16.1 : M Morkel to Pujara, Almost another! Morkel angles this on a length from outside off. Pujara misses the defense and wears it high on the pads. No damage done here. |
| 16.2 : M Morkel to Pujara, This is well outside off, left alone. |
| 16.3 : M Morkel to Pujara, Another one outside off, left alone. |
| 16.4 : M Morkel to Pujara, Outside off, left alone by Pujara. |
| 16.5 : M Morkel to Pujara, This is sprayed down the leg side, Che misses the flick. |
| 16.6 : M Morkel to Pujara, Another leave in the over, a maiden. |
| 17.1 : L Ngidi to Patel, Ngidi comes round the wicket and lands it on a length outside off, Patel covers the stumps and lets it go. |
| 17.2 : L Ngidi to Patel, This is outside off, left alone. |
| 17.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, Oh my gosh! Parthiv Patel is down on his haunches. He fails to get this length ball, that is a touch short, away. The ball that is delivered at 136 kph, goes on to strike him on his ribs. He is down in pain as he is not wearing a chest guard. The Proteas come in to have a word with him and ensure he is all good. Good to see this sportsmanship among them though that wouldn't reduce the brutality that they will be offering to the batsmen. On another look, it is seen that th |
| 17.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, Another length ball on a similar length, Patel hops up to defend. Doesn't climb up much and he ends up getting it off the bottom of the bat. |
| 17.5 : L Ngidi to Patel, This ball is flicked off towards mid-wicket. |
| 17.6 : L Ngidi to Patel, Sees off the last ball with a back foot defense. A maiden from Lungi. |
| 18.1 : M Morkel to Pujara, On the pads, flicked to mid-wicket. |
| 18.2 : M Morkel to Pujara, Similar ball, flicked away through mid-wicket for one. |
| 18.3 : M Morkel to P Patel, Look what a short ball that affects you can do. Patel hangs back expecting a barrage from Morkel as well. The pacer, realizing this, slips in a fuller one around off and middle. Parthiv chips it aerially towards mid on, where it lands just short of Philander. He ends up parrying it to his right and a run results. De Kock has his hands on his heads and has to react quickly to collect the unanticipated throw from Vern. |
| 18.4 : M Morkel to Pujara, Lovely ball, almost gone! Delivered on a length just outside off, Pujara tries to defend thinking the ball would come in. It goes on with the angle and he gets beaten on the outside. Quinton almost leaps in appeal before withdrawing it. Hang on to your breaths. The reason for this is, SNICKO SHOWS A SPIKE as the ball passes the bat. Appealing when not required and not doing so when required, that's what has happened with de Kock here. The Indian no.3 lives on fortunes h |
| 18.5 : M Morkel to Pujara, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 18.6 : M Morkel to Pujara, Hurled down the leg side, left alone. |
| Now, out comes the chest guard for Parthiv Patel. He is also seen popping some pills there. |
| 19.1 : L Ngidi to Patel, On a length from round the wicket, defended from the crease. |
| 19.2 : Ngidi to Patel, Huge appeal, in fact the Proteas go up in celebration here. They are cut short only by the umpire's disagreement. Ngidi angles this down the leg side, Patel gets across and looks to flick. The ball goes off something to de Kock who goes up in celebration. All the players appeal to no avail. Replays confirm that it went off the pads indeed. About de Kock though, read 18.4. |
| 19.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, This is played towards point from the crease. |
| 19.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, Another sound, this time no appeal from anybody in the slip cordon. Length ball just outside off, Patel has a feel for that and seems to have nicked it. Nothing from the hosts and play carries on. No Snicko to aid us here. |
| 19.5 : L Ngidi to Patel, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 19.6 : L Ngidi to Patel, Runs for Patel after some oohs and aahs. He punches this through cover-point for a brace. |
| 20.1 : M Morkel to Pujara, On the pads, flicked away in front of square for a brace. |
| 20.2 : M Morkel to Pujara, Pujara defends it from the crease with a straight bat. |
| 20.3 : M Morkel to Pujara, Outside off, defended towards point. |
| 20.4 : M Morkel to Pujara, This is well outside off, left alone. |
| 20.5 : M Morkel to Pujara, This takes off a bit more, Che gets on his toes and defends it down. |
| 20.6 : M Morkel to Pujara, Defended off the inner half towards mid-wicket. |
| 6 minutes to go to the close of the day, Ngidi will continue. |
| 21.1 : L Ngidi to Patel, Patel tries to defend this but ends up getting a thick edge through gully for a brace. |
| 21.2 : L Ngidi to Patel, Length ball outside off, Patel looks to leave it initially but then doesn't. Gets beaten on the inside. |
| 21.3 : L Ngidi to Patel, Short ball around off, defended from the crease. |
| 21.4 : L Ngidi to Patel, This is sprayed down the leg side, PP fails to flick it. |
| 21.5 : L Ngidi to P Patel, Fuller in length, driven to mid on. |
| 21.6 : L Ngidi to Patel, Full on off, driven back to the bowler. Ngidi hurls a throw to the keeper, just flying past Patel. He gives a long stare to the bowler, who turns back to collect his cap from the umpire. |
| Last over of the day, Keshav Maharaj to bowl it. |
| 22.1 : K Maharaj to Pujara, Flatter outside off, pushed towards point to rotate strike. |
| 22.2 : K Maharaj to Patel, Floated outside off, spins in after pitching. Patel lunges forward in defense. |
| 22.3 : K Maharaj to Patel, Oh, de Kock! When on earth will you appeal for the right ones? Floats it full outside off, Patel jams it down and it's a crowd catch to Philander at covers. 'Oh yes' yells Quinton in excitement. |
| Silly point in place. No helmet and no shin guards for him. |
| 22.4 : K Maharaj to Patel, Defended off the front foot to Elgar. |
| 22.5 : K Maharaj to Patel, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 22.6 : K Maharaj to Patel, Patel sees off the final ball of the day with a forward defense. That's all for the day, STUMPS, DAY 4! |
| Hush, thank god the day's done and dusted! Don't get me wrong, these are not my words but these are what the 11 men representing India might be feeling. If you try to fight fire with wood or ice, you'd be the one getting burned or injured. But that won't be the case if you either get away from the line of fire or counter it with more fire. Yes, the talk of fire is enough to let you know that the heat is on at Centurion. South Africa are the one dominating this and only a miracle can deny them a |
| India had about 25 overs to see off the day and 23 were bowled in actual. But they failed to come out unscathed from the passage. There was a steady flow of wickets and that has hampered them big time. The telling blow was that of Kohli, who easily looked India's best in the first essay. Rabada first, and Ngidi later, helped their side rock back the visitors who has a tall mountain of 287 runs to chase. |
| Earlier in the day, the Proteas were finally bundled out after they kept the tourists at bay for almost 92 overs and 258 runs. Elgar and de Villiers need mention for notching up fifties (also not to forget their 141-run association together) and Faf, too, for his stoic knock that ended two short of fifty. Without stating Philander's contribution, where he managed to stay for 26 overs with his skipper in a stand that read 46 runs, the South Africans' scorecard wouldn't have been aptly described. |
| The last day in this Test can be only about survival from here on. The ever-reliable Pujara is still out there but the batters on whom you'd bet your money on in such a scenario, Vijay and Kohli, are back in the hut. Expect the host bowlers to come back with more venom. That's the only choice and option that they've got. It'll culminate in a just reward for their efforts (stating the inevitable). But there's a fight to look forward to (in hope). The action is not something that you should miss. |
| ... Final Day, First Session ... |
| 98 overs in the day. One side needs 252 runs, the other, just 7 wickets. This could be all over in a trice. This could crawl away and stretch to the last hour of the game. Endless possibilities, numerous hopes. Wherever you are, we are glad to have you with us for the last day of this second Test between South Africa and India played at Centurion, where there's no question of which side is on top. |
| If the way the Protea pacers ran in was anything to go by, they'll be fresher and raring to make quick inroads when they step out today. What happens many-a-times in such a situation is, batting sides lose it in their minds much before they come to the batting crease. It is a case of demons in the mind than in reality. Pujara can be the best man to have in such a scene and he is out there in the middle after countering 40 deliveries for his 11. What does the bat-ball contest have for us today? S |
| We have seen this track be a up-and-down one. How to tackle the low bounce? The experts before the match put up a display and tell us that the batsmen should try and get forward to counter it. The key is to play it with a straight bat as much as possible. They show a visual of de Villiers doing the same to a ball that almost failed to let go off the pitch. The Protea batsman in that occasion got forward, got nicely low and countered it with a straight bat. If a ball has your number on it, it'll |
| PITCH REPORT - Shaun Pollock says that it is bright and hot out there. Observes that the cracks have started to widen up and there is a lot of rough on offer for the bowlers to work with. Walks over to the pavilion end and points to a spot where the cracks are more prominent. That is the spot from where the ball has tended to misbehave he reckons. Adds that it is the area which was responsible for de Villiers' and Vijay's wicket. Ends saying that the batters would just hope that the ball bearing |
| We are set to get underway! The home side is a huddle, planning for the final rites of the opposition, perhaps. Imagine how good it will be to be in that side of the dressing room. Out walk the two Indians with the bat, who belong to the same part of the nation Pujara and Patel. The former will face Rabada first up. Three slips in place. |
| 23.1 : K Rabada to Pujara, On target right away. Fuller in length, in line of the off stump, blocked off the inner half to the on side. |
| 23.2 : K Rabada to Pujara, Close leave! Length delivery outside off, it nips in after pitching. Pujara lets it go based on the length. It passed just over the off stick and went through to the keeper. Wonder if it is easy to leave deliveries based on length on this track. |
| 23.3 : K Rabada to Pujara, First run of the day. Cheteshwar taps it towards cover-point and hares to the other end. |
| 23.4 : K Rabada to Patel, Length ball from round the wicket, Patel stands tall and blocks. |
| 23.5 : K Rabada to Patel, Bouncer around off, Parthiv ducks. |
| 23.6 : K Rabada to Patel, On a length just outside off, Patel is squared up a touch and gets it off the outer edge past gully for a brace. Pujara is laboured in his running and hence a third isn't possible. |
| Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end. He rarely veers away from the line of the stumps and hence seeing him off would be crucial. |
| 24.1 : V Philander to Pujara, FOUR! Not a good way to be welcomed with the ball for Vern. He bowls it wide outside off, Pujara stays back and guides it past gully and earns himself a boundary. Positive start from him this morning. |
| 24.2 : V Philander to Pujara, This is outside off, let alone. |
| 24.3 : V Philander to C Pujara, Cheteshwar pushes it towards mid off with soft hands and scampers to the other end. Good cricket this. |
| 24.4 : V Philander to Patel, On a length just outside off, Patel mistimes his cut and chops it towards covers. |
| 24.5 : V Philander to Patel, Aggression? Fuller in line of off, driven back off the inner half towards the bowler. Philander takes it with his left hand in his followthrough, turns and hurls a throw at the stumps at the striker's end. Patel is well in but the look on his face is that of a baby which is being bullied by a burly human. |
| 24.6 : V Philander to Patel, Sprayed down the leg side, Patel misses the flick. De Kock fails to stop that cleanly and a bye results. |
| 25.1 : K Rabada to Patel, Length ball around off, blocked towards covers. |
| 25.2 : K Rabada to Patel, Patel hops up and bunts this down. |
| 25.3 : K Rabada to Patel, Similar length ball, blocked off towards mid on. |
| 25.4 : K Rabada to Patel, Defended towards point from the crease. |
| Interesting. Michael Holding tells us that there are thunderstorms predicted for later in the day. To get there though, the Indians have to counter the initial storm from the Protea bowlers. |
| 25.5 : K Rabada to P Patel, Sometimes, good fielding and accurate throwing can result in a run like this case. Patel defends this towards mid on straight to Philander. He hurls a throw at the keeper's end and it hits the stumps at the end. It deflects behind and a run results. Wasn't very far from the helmet there. |
| 25.6 : K Rabada to Pujara, This is guided through gully for a couple. |
| Another run out? Cheteshwar Pujara is the man in question. He dives full length but seems to be short of getting in at the striker's end. It is taken upstairs. |
| 26.1 : V Philander to Pujara, OUT! Cheteshwar Pujara is run out. AGAIN. |
| 0.0 : Rohit Sharma walks out at no. 6. |
| 26.2 : V Philander to Sharma, Sharma gets a length ball on arrival, he works it away through square leg to get going straightaway. |
| 26.3 : V Philander to Patel, No run. |
| 26.4 : V Philander to Patel, No run. |
| 26.5 : V Philander to Patel, 1 run. |
| 26.6 : V Philander to Sharma, No run. |
| 27.1 : K Rabada to Patel, Poor from Patel! Rabada bowls it short and wide outside off, Patel flashes at it away from his body but gets beaten. |
| 27.2 : K Rabada to Patel, Bowls a bumper on middle, Patel ducks under it. |
| 27.3 : K Rabada to Patel, Short of a length on off, Patel defends it solidly. |
| 27.4 : K Rabada to Patel, FOUR! Fabulous! Not a bad delivery there by Philander, he lands it on a length outside off, Patel drives it on the up, through covers for a boundary. |
| 27.5 : K Rabada to Patel, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. |
| 27.6 : K Rabada to Patel, Good length outside off, Patel tries to defend but gets beaten. |
| 28.1 : V Philander to Sharma, This is well outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 28.2 : V Philander to Sharma, This ball is defended from the crease. |
| De Kock upto the stumps now. |
| 28.3 : V Philander to R Sharma, FOUR! Edged but runs! Philander bowls it on off, it shapes away a touch. Sharma tries to defend but it goes off the outside edge, past the diving slip fielder for a boundary. |
| 28.4 : V Philander to Sharma, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 28.5 : V Philander to Sharma, Good length outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 28.6 : V Philander to Sharma, Flicks it with the angle, on the leg side for a run. |
| 29.1 : K Rabada to Sharma, On the shorter length on middle, Sharma works it around the corner for a run. |
| 29.2 : K Rabada to Patel, Back of a length outside off, Patel guides it to point. |
| 29.3 : K Rabada to Patel, FOUR! TOP SHOT! Fuller in length on middle, Patel uses the pace and punches it down to long on for a boundary. |
| 29.4 : K Rabada to Patel, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 29.5 : K Rabada to Patel, OUT! in the air... and what a catch! Morne Morkel you beauty! he is generally not known for his fielding but he has taken an absolutely brilliant catch. Rabada bangs it short on middle, Parthiv who has played with a lot of intent since the start of play today, goes for the pull shot. He gets a top edge which flies towards fine leg. Looking at where the ball is going Parthiv would have felt he is going to get another boundary but Morkel in the deep has different ideas. He |
| Hardik Pandya walks out to the middle. |
| 29.6 : K Rabada to Pandya, Fuller in length on middle, eased to mid on. |
| 30.1 : V Philander to Sharma, FOUR. |
| 0.0 : Rohit Sharma pulls out very late. Almost after the bowler delivers the delivery. Maybe he was not ready. Philander is not happy as he gives him a stare. |
| 30.2 : V Philander to Sharma, The batsman works it down the leg side. |
| 30.3 : V Philander to Sharma, Good length on off, Sharma defends it solidly. |
| 30.4 : V Philander to Sharma, Back of a length on off, Sharma guides it to point for a run. |
| 30.5 : V Philander to Pandya, Fuller in length on off, driven to mid on. |
| 30.6 : V Philander to Pandya, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 31.1 : K Rabada to Sharma, Full and outside off, Sharma goes after it away from his body but gets beaten. He should be leaving those. He could have easily edged that one. |
| 31.2 : K Rabada to Sharma, Back of a length on off, guided to point. |
| 31.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Fuller on off, driven to mid on. |
| 31.4 : K Rabada to R Sharma, FOUR! Just short of a length outside off. Sharma guides it through point. The fielder from gully gives it a chase, dives but all in vain. A boundary results. |
| 31.5 : K Rabada to R Sharma, Shorter in length outside off, it stays low a touch. Sharma chops it to point. |
| 31.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| Spin for the first time today! Keshav Maharaj is into the attack. |
| 32.1 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Bowls a negative line down the leg side. Sharma pads it away. |
| 32.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Another ball down the leg side, trying to make use of the rough outside the leg stump of the batsman. He pads it away. |
| 32.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Tosses it up outside off leg, Sharma plants his front foot ahead and kicks it away. |
| 32.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, This time he pitches it on leg stump. Sharma lunges forward in defense. |
| 32.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floats it up on middle, Rohit defends it solidly. |
| 32.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman offers no stroke and is wrapped on the pads. |
| Lungi Ngidi to have a bowl now. |
| 33.1 : L Ngidi to Pandya, On a length outside off, defended towards point. |
| 33.2 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Another edge, runs this time though. It is bowled outside off, Pandya gets an outside edge as he looks to slash it. There is a good effort in the deep at the backward point fence and a couple result. |
| 33.3 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 33.4 : L Ngidi to Pandya, On the pads, flicked away through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 33.5 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Nudged down to fine leg for a single. |
| 33.6 : L Ngidi to Sharma, Length ball outside off, Rohit has a feel for it but the ball just misses the outside edge of the blade. Nice bowling. |
| 34.1 : K Maharaj to Pandya, Floated on the pads, swept away to deep fine leg for a single. |
| 34.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Sharma lunges forward and defends it off the front foot. |
| 34.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Maharaj is maintaining the line around leg stump, Rohit prods forward and blocks. |
| 34.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floated around leg, Sharma lunges to defend but gets hit on the front pad. |
| 34.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, A touch shorter outside off, guided through backward point for two. |
| 34.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Sharma slinks down and blocks it down. |
| 35.1 : L Ngidi to Pandya, Outside off, left alone. |
| 35.2 : L Ngidi to Pandya, This is blocked from the crease towards point. |
| 35.3 : L Ngidi to Pandya, OUT! Hardik Pandya - threw his wicket away in the first innings, does the same yet again. What is the situation of the game? How good or bad is the position of his side? These are somethings that should have been going on in his mind but sadly, this lies just in words at the moment. Ngidi banged it short but it was well wide. Pandya should have left it alone but no, he doesn't. Looks to go for the upper cut and only manages a cue end. The ball was going over slips but de |
| The man in at number 8 for India is Ravichandran Ashwin. |
| 35.4 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Angled down the leg side, Ashwin misses the flick. |
| 35.5 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, Length ball outside off, Ashwin feels for it but misses. |
| Review time! Against Ashwin for a caught behind. Ashwin seems to be bounced out, think the Proteas, the umpire doesn't. Taken upstairs. |
| 35.6 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, NOT OUT! A review gone for the Proteas. Ngidi bangs it in short, Ashwin sways away from the line. The ball seems to have gone straight into the keeper's gloves but the South Africans go up in appeal. The umpire shakes his head. The hosts confer and think about the review and eventually take it. Nothing on the Snicko when the ball is close to the bat. The only spike is seen when the bat is seen brushing the pad. Perhaps that is what Markram seemed to indicate in that mini |
| 36.1 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Tosses it up on leg stumps, Sharma lunges forward and defends it. |
| 36.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Gives it air on middle, Sharma blocks it. |
| 36.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Nails the sweep shot towards deep square leg for a run. |
| 36.4 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Bowls it from around the wicket and drags his length back. It turns away but it is slow turn. Ashwin has all the time in the world to rock back and slaps it through covers for a brace. |
| 36.5 : K Maharaj to Ashwin, Gives it air on off, driven down to long off for a run. |
| 36.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Flighted ball on middle, pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 37.1 : L Ngidi to Ashwin, OUT! Ashwin is walking back now! This is all happening too quickly! Ngidi bowls it on a drivable length outside off, it shapes away a touch. Ashwin withouth any foot movement goes after it as he tries to force it through the off side. The ball takes the edge and goes to de Kock who does not drop many. Excellent bowling by Ngidi this is what pace can do it freezes the batsman's legs. Lungi gets his fourth. South Africa are now three wickets away. |
| 0.0 : Mohammed Shami comes in now. |
| 37.2 : L Ngidi to Shami, Back of a length on off, defended to point. |
| 37.3 : L Ngidi to Shami, Played to the point region by the batsman. |
| 37.4 : L Ngidi to Shami, Bouncer and the batsman does well to evade it. |
| 37.5 : L Ngidi to Shami, Short on middle, Shami goes for the pull but it goes off the top edge towards deep square leg for a brace. |
| 37.6 : L Ngidi to Shami, FOUR! In the air but in the gap! Ngidi bangs in another one outside off, Shami tries to defend away from his body but it goes off the outside edge, uppishly through backward point for a boundary. |
| 38.1 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Works it against the angle to mid-wicket. |
| 38.2 : K Maharaj to Sharma, FOUR! Rohit is on the attack! Tosses it up on middle, Sharma goes down on one knee and sweeps it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 38.3 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Floats it on off, Sharma lunges forward in defense with his bat close to the pad. De Kock lets out a loud appeal as he feels it is pad first. He though is not supported by his teammates. Although replays later on show it was pad first but no Hawk Eye to follow it up. |
| 38.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, SIX! BANG! India need a lot more of these. Sharma makes use of his feet, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it over long on for a biggie. |
| 38.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 38.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Pushes it towards cover for a run. |
| 39.1 : L Ngidi to Sharma, Shorter in length on off, Sharma goes on his toes to defend it. |
| 39.2 : L Ngidi to Sharma, Good length on off, Sharma defends it off the front foot. |
| 39.3 : L Ngidi to Sharma, Length on off, defends it solidly. |
| 39.4 : L Ngidi to Sharma, Short outside off, Sharma guides it down to third man for a run. |
| 39.5 : L Ngidi to Shami, Another risky run! Shami taps the short ball towards point and sets of for a run. Sharma obliges. The fielder at point fires a throw at the keeper's end where the short leg fielder tries to collect it but does not. No harm done in the end. Interesting Sharma went for the single there as it was the second last ball of the over. |
| 39.6 : L Ngidi to Sharma, A dot to finish! A short ball outside off, Sharma tries to drag his pull through the leg side but gets beaten. |
| 40.1 : K Maharaj to Shami, Tosses it up on off, Shami pushes it to covers. |
| 40.2 : K Maharaj to Shami, FOUR! In the air.. towards Morkel but this time he has no chance in catching it. Shami heaves this full ball towards long on. Morkel there runs to his right, puts in a dive but can't reach the ball. A boundary results. |
| 40.3 : K Maharaj to Shami, DEFT! Nicely played! Fatter outside off, Shami waits for it and guides it down to third man for three. |
| 40.4 : K Maharaj to Sharma, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 40.5 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Down the leg side, Sharma tries to pad it but misses. De Kock behind the stumps also does not collect it. It goes down towards fine leg for two byes. |
| 40.6 : K Maharaj to Sharma, Gives it air on off, driven to mid off. |
| 41.1 : L Ngidi to Shami, Shorter in length on off, Shami defends it solidly. |
| 41.2 : L Ngidi to M Shami, FOUR! Almost got his fifer, Ngidi! Ngidi bowls a similar delivery to which he got Ashwin out. A full ball outside off. Shami goes after it but gets a thick outside edge, over the leaping gully fielder for a boundary. |
| 41.3 : L Ngidi to Shami, Another ball outside off, Shami goes for the booming drive but does not connect. |
| 41.4 : L Ngidi to Shami, Length ball on off, pushed to covers. |
| 41.5 : L Ngidi to Shami, Shorter in length outside off, Shami tries to pull but gets beaten. |
| 41.6 : L Ngidi to Shami, Full on the pads, he was going for a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss. Shami flicks it through square leg for a couple. |
| Morne Morkel is into the attack. |
| 42.1 : M Morkel to Sharma, Back of a length outside off, Sharma guides it to point. |
| 42.2 : M Morkel to R Sharma, That has kept a little low! Nicely played by Sharma! On a length around off, jags back in. Sharma does well to adjust to the low bounce and defend it. |
| 42.3 : M Morkel to Sharma, Outside off, left alone. |
| 42.4 : M Morkel to Sharma, Wide outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 42.5 : M Morkel to Sharma, Short and outside off, not a lot of width on offer. Sharma cuts it nicely through backward point to change strike. Shami has one ball to survive now. |
| 42.6 : M Morkel to Shami, Whizzes past the outside edge! Morkel bowls it on a length outside off, straightens a touch. Shami first thinks of playing at it but at the very last moment pulls his bat away. |
| Kagiso Rabada to bowl. He has got Rohit out a couple of times in this series and hence is brought into the attack. |
| 43.1 : K Rabada to Sharma, Fuller in length on off, Sharma gets it off the inner half towards mid on. |
| 43.2 : K Rabada to Sharma, Fullish on off, driven to covers. |
| 43.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Back of a length on off, Sharma defends it off the back foot. |
| 43.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Bowled outside off, guided down to third man for a run. |
| 43.5 : K Rabada to Shami, FOUR! Kl Rahul should learn from that shot! Go hard at it if you are playing it. Short outside off, Shami cuts it with all his might through point for a boundary. |
| 43.6 : K Rabada to Shami, Fuller on middle, flicked towards mid-wicket. |
| 44.1 : M Morkel to Sharma, On a length outside off, the batsman defends it onto the ground. |
| 44.2 : M Morkel to Sharma, Good length outside off, Sharma lets it be. |
| 44.3 : M Morkel to Sharma, Fullish ball on off, Rohit times it through covers. |
| 44.4 : M Morkel to R Sharma, Shorter in length on middle, pulled down to deep square leg for a run. |
| 44.5 : M Morkel to Shami, Comes around the wicket and bowls a bouncer. It bounces way above the batsman's head and the umpire signals a wide. |
| M Morkel to Shami, Shorter in length outside off, Shami defends it solidly. |
| 44.6 : M Morkel to Shami, Another short ball outside off, Shami guides it down to third man but Rohit does not want the single as he wants to keep strike. |
| 45.1 : K Rabada to R Sharma, FOUR! Short and down the leg side, too easy for Sharma. He pulls it fine down the leg side for a boundary. The stand is now 46 and 154 needed. |
| 45.2 : K Rabada to Sharma, FOUR! Fifty-run stand up! 150 needed now! Rabada again bangs it short on middle, Rohit tries to pull but it goes off the top edge, very fine down the leg side for the second boundary of the over. |
| 45.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Third bumper in a row and Sharma ducks under it. |
| 45.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Rohit makes room, Rabada bowls it short down the leg side. He goes for the pull but misses. |
| 45.5 : K Rabada to Sharma, DROPPED! Very tough though! The short ball ploy almost played off. Rohit is not shy from playing his shot and he again goes for the pull. he connects well but does not keep it down. It goes towards Amla at square leg who leaps, stretches both his hands above his head but can't hang on. An excellent effort by Amla, it had to stick. A single taken by the batsmen. |
| 45.6 : K Rabada to Shami, Another short ball on middle, Shami ducks. |
| 46.1 : M Morkel to Sharma, Good running! Rohit moves onto 46! Morkel bowls it short, Sharma makes room and with soft hands, plays it towards covers for a couple. |
| 46.2 : M Morkel to Sharma, Shortish, aimed at the body of the batsman. Rohit pulls it down to fine leg but refuses the run. |
| 46.3 : M Morkel to Sharma, Rohit makes room but Morkel follows him. Sharma defends it towards cover. |
| 46.4 : M Morkel to Sharma, Almost! Another short ball which climbs on the batsman. Rohit goes for the pull but the ball just misses the glove. |
| 46.5 : M Morkel to Sharma, Hooks this one down towards fine leg and this time he takes the run. |
| 46.6 : M Morkel to Shami, On a length around middle, driven back to the bowler. |
| 47.1 : K Rabada to R Sharma, Shorter in length on middle, Rohit mistimes his pull besides the pitch. |
| 0.0 : Has de Villiers taken it? If he has it is another blinder. He dives ahead and he seems to have caught it. He is pretty sure about it but the umpires go upstairs to check. |
| 47.2 : Rabada to R Sharma, OUT! Yes, he has! Another blinder, the South Africans are making a habit of this in this innings! De Villiers is the man this time, what not can this man do! Rabada bowls a short ball on middle, Sharma who has played his shots in this innings goes for the pull again. He gets a top edge towards de Villiers who comes running in and dives forward to take an excellent catch inches above the ground. The umpires go upstairs to check whether it is clean and you bet it is. it i |
| Ishant Sharma walks out at no. 10. Lunch has also been extended by 15 minutes. |
| 47.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under it. |
| 47.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Back of a length on off, guided to point. |
| 47.5 : K Rabada to Sharma, Bouncer! The batsman does well to evade it. |
| 47.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, Shorter in length on middle, Sharma defends. |
| Lungi Ngidi comes back into the attack. he is one wicket away form a fifer. |
| 48.1 : L Ngidi to Shami, FOUR! not convincing but Shami wont mind! Ngidi bowls it short on middle, Shami tries to cut but it goes off the edge, over the slip cordon for a boundary. |
| 48.2 : L Ngidi to M Shami, OUT! Fifer for Ngidi on debut! take a bow young man. A big moment for him especially on his home ground! He has bowled with pace, aggression and also a lot of control. He bangs it short on middle, Shami makes room and tries to go big over mid on. He mistimes it and balloons a simple catch to Morkel. The South Africans are elated as they are only one wicket away from a series win. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is the last man in. |
| 48.3 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, On a length around off, Bumrah defends it. |
| 48.4 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, Bouncer! The batsman ducks under the bouncer at the last moment. |
| 48.5 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, Good length outside off, Bumrah opens the face of his bat and guides it down towards third man for a couple. |
| 48.6 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, Another short ball on middle, Bumrah goes for the hook but misses. |
| 49.1 : K Rabada to Sharma, Shorter in length on middle, Sharma defends it solidly. |
| 49.2 : K Rabada to Sharma, A bumper, Sharma ducks under it. |
| 49.3 : K Rabada to Sharma, The batsman has played it to the point region. |
| 49.4 : K Rabada to Sharma, Excellent bowling but equally well played by Ishant! Rabada follows the short ball with a yorker on middle. Ishant does really well to keep it out. |
| 49.5 : K Rabada to Sharma, Rabada is back to bowling bouncers but Ishant ducks under it. |
| 49.6 : K Rabada to Sharma, FOUR! Full ball but the line is outside off, Sharma square drives it through to the boundary. 150 up for India. |
| 50.1 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, The batsman tries to pull that one but misses. |
| 50.2 : L Ngidi to Bumrah, OUT! That is it! Six-fer for Ngidi. What a debut for the young man! He has made a mark for himself against a top-class batting line-up. He bowls it full on off, Bumrah tries to drive but instead he lobs it towards covers. Philander there runs in and takes another good catch inches above the ground. So that is four good catches in this innings. All smiles in the South African camp, Ngidi is given a stump for his heroics and India are bowled out for 151! SOUTH AFRICA WIN B |
| What a dream debut for the young man, Lungi Ngidi! Another impressive bowler to add to the lot of the already impressive pace bowlers of South Africa. He leads the team off the field and is congratulated by the Indians and also from his team members. He has single handedly ran through the strong batting line-up of the Indians, to help South Africa clinch the series 2-0. |
| It took South Africa only a session to take the seven wickets they had to today. Parthiv and Pujara did show good intent to start off the day but a moment of madness from Pujara as he gifted his wicket to the South Africans by being run out made their task even more difficult. The rest also threw their wickets away by playing poor shots, needless shots you can say. Rohit Sharma did try to put up a fight but it was always an uphill task. For South Africa, Ngidi was the star as he picked up a 6-fe |
| India went into the second game needing a win or a draw to stay alive in the series. Losing the toss did not help their cause as South Africa elected to bat. They put up a decent total with Aiden Markram being their top scorer with 94. India in reply fell 28 short of the total. At one stage they looked like they would be conceding a big lead but courtesy a brilliant 153 by their skipper they were back in the game. |
| With a lead of 28 on a wicket which was getting even more difficult to bat. Anything above 250 would have been difficult for India to chase. The Indian bowlers did strike early but the pair of AB de Villiers and Elgar first and then Faf du Plessis towards the end ensured they get up to a total which will prove too much of a task for the Indians. Stay tuned for the presentation in a while. |
| Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, thought the wicket was quite flat. He felt his best chance was to put some runs on the board. Admits he should have capitalized as they were in a position to take the lead. Credits the bowlers who have done well in this game as well. States he gives 100 percent out there on the field. Mentions his innings at the moment means nothing as they have lost the series. Further adds personal milestones is not something he cares about as team performances matter more. Ends by |
| South African skipper, Faf du Plessis, says it is a very good feeling. Admits it took a lot of hard work but feels they were on top for the majority of the Test match. Mentions they were disappointed after day one due to the last 45 minutes as they felt they gave India a sniff but credits his teammates as they showed great character to bounce back on the remaining days. Further adds anything above 250 would have been challenging. Appreciates Ngidi's performance and also says he is a very nice hu |
| Man of the Match, Lungi Ngidi, says he is very happy with the award. Further adds he cant believe it. Admits he has been in good form in franchise cricket and he feels lucky he got to debut on his homeground. opines he stuck to the basics and he got some movement of the deck which helped him. Ends by saying the pitch was on the slower side but adapting to conditions was very important. |
| So, that is it from this game! Virat Kohli's 9 Test series win as captain comes to an end. Their batting is once again under scrutiny. Was not picking Rahane the right move? Or was dropping Bhuvneshwar Kumar something they should have not done? Hindsight is a wonderful thing. For South Africa, things just keep getting better and every player is contributing in some or the other way. They would now look to inflict a whitewash by winning the third Test in Durban. It will be played on 24th of Janua |
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